Replacing your bra regularly is one way to avoid the dangers of an ill-fitting bra, which can include anything from headaches to back pain from poor posture. But according to a survey carried out by Harper Wilde, 70% of women said that their oldest bra is between 2-5 years old. This blog shares why, how and when to replace your old faithful bras!
Why can’t you keep a bra forever?
Bras are made out of stretchy material, and in many ways, it’s this factor that is integral to the support they provide. A bra needs to be able to move and flex with the body, and – crucially - to cushion breasts rather than hold them in one position. Elastic allows this to happen, but it loses its shape with extended use and stops being effective. Over time, the energy applied to elastic (through wear and exposure to water and heat) causes each separate polymer chain in the fibre to break down. This means it will no longer go back to its starting point once it has been stretched.
How often should you replace your bra?
This is a simple question, but the answer can get pretty complicated – depending on how much you use and wash your bras, and how much your body shape fluctuates. Even with gentle usage and care, all bras will lose their shape over time as the elastic fibres in the band and straps begins to deteriorate. It’s generally recommended that a bra should last anywhere between 6-9 months, although we think that with good care your bras should last a lot longer. We encourage you to look after them as much as they look after you - extending the life of your clothes by even a small amount has a significant environmental benefit.
Check out our garment care guide for tips on washing, mending and stain removing your Y.O.U undies.
The way you take care of your bra can have a massive impact on how long it lasts. There are some simple changes you can make that will have a big difference, such as;-
Using a gentle soap
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Reducing the frequency of washing (once every three wears is more than enough!)
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Avoiding using a dryer – the heat will speed up the wear and tear process.
Changes to body – and breast – size can also affect how often we might need to replace our bras. Breasts naturally change shape over time due to general weight and hormonal fluctuations, so make sure you get fittings regularly!
How to tell when a bra is worn out
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The band will be stretched out. The band is responsible for around 90% of a bra’s support. If it’s stretched, it will ride up, causing straps to slip and fall, cups to fall forward, and underwires to dig.
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You will have to pull the band beyond the hook closures for it to be tight.
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The straps will be falling off your shoulders, even when tightened. Straps can be tightened all the way by pulling the buckles all the way down to the strap, but this isn’t the correct way of wearing a bra and it’s one sign that you might need a replacement!
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You can see the outline of a bra cup through a tee-shirt. This is a sure sign that the bra is stretched or too big.
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You can see permanent crinkles or creases in the padding.
What about Y.O.U bralettes and supportive bras?
Our Bralettes (like this grey with white clouds pattern pictured) contain 5% elastane which is crucial for stretch, comfort and quality. While they don't have any padding or wiring, they still need to cared for to optimise their longevity. Keep an eye on the fabric – it’s colour and feel will tell you a lot about how much life it has left in it, as will the tightness of the straps and band.
And don't forget our more supportive bra too (like this Red Mara design pictured) which offers more support and coverage but still with our signature super-soft organic cotton - all without wires!
What can you do with your old underwear?
Our buy-one give-two model means that every time you buy a pair of Y.O.U underwear from our core women's, men's and girls' collections, we donate two pairs of underwear to the charity Smalls for All. We donate 3 pairs as a bundle - one to wear, one to wash and one to dry, so over 7,600 women and girls have received clean underwear. We've already hit our target of donating 23,000 pairs of underwear - over 6 months ahead of schedule!
We also collect gently-worn bras to send directly to Smalls for All each month. We all have a drawer full of old bras that we no longer wear at home, so why not have an early Spring clean and send any unwanted ones to us? You can either drop them in our Oxford shop, or send them directly to us at Y.O.U underwear, 11 Bodley Place, Oxford, OX2 7TF. You can also donate new pants to Smalls too, they just need to be unworn and in packs.
For any underwear that is at the end of its life, last year we launched a circular fashion scheme in partnership with TerraCycle, which allows customers to drop off their underwear, socks and tights for recycling. Once again just send those to us or drop them into our shop. We accept any brands, not just our own, so that's lots more undies saved from going to landfill!
So there you have it, lots of great reasons to replace that old bra today and all whilst you look good, feel good and do good!
Did you enjoy this blog post? Learn more garment care tips:
1 comment
Thank you for this info. So pleased that there’s somewhere to recycle our undies. I can’t bear the thought of usable clothes going into landfill. In fact my home is full of such items as I won’t put them in the Bin in the hope of finding somewhere more sustainable to send them.