Our Innovative Approach to Nipple Concealment
A lot of people often wonder how The Elli Bralette came to be? And how (and why) did I come up with our innovative approach to nipple concealment without padding.
Let's back up just a bit. The Elli Bralette is a foam free, wireless bralette that provides guaranteed nipple concealment – not just coverage. Why? Because if you're nipple conscious (like me), you know two things to be true:
- Some nipples truly are stronger than the thickest foam and silicone layers (for real)
- Comfort is king, but not always possible to find when looking for nipple concealment solutions
A Need For A Bra That Was Nipple Concealing (Without All The Foam And Padding)
10 years ago, even 5 years ago, finding a bra that would conceal my nipples AND be comfortable to wear was impossible. As a small busted woman, I've tried it all. Finally, one day, I woke up and decided if it didn't exist, I'd just have to make it – so I did! The process looked a little something like this.
First – I Needed A Bra I Could Wear Anywhere
As a woman working in construction, I was often the only female in the office, at a meeting, or on a job site. This photo shows that I was one of three women in my graduating class. And it never bothered me! But my nips? Constant source of agony. Conscious of the fact that I was/am indeed a female in a historically male dominated industry, I was even more motivated to keep my nipple behavior under wraps.
Don't get me wrong – I had plenty of experience in keeping them from poking through my shirt (save one questionable hippy/braless phase), but now I was working in construction, and I really wanted to double down for peace of mind. I needed a nipple-concealing option that went with my work shirts but was also comfortable that would let me focus on my job rather than whether or not my damn nipples were noticeable again.
A Checklist Of Comfortable Bra Features
Adding padding to my bras wasn't exactly helpful in the "don't look at my boobs" department; I was tired of peeling adhesives off my skin, and silicone nipple covers were more than I wanted to deal with on a daily basis. So, I made a dream bra list:
- Hide nips without being so extra
- NO padding
- NO underwire
- No back clasps
- COMPLETE nipple concealment
Every bra I tried only hit one to two marks at a time. Three if I was lucky. But nothing was quite "it". Finally, in 2015, after years of exhausting searches for the perfect fit, I started the first iteration of the Elli Bralette. There was A LOT of trial and error and going back to the drawing board, but five years later, in 2020, I finally launched my dream bra.
And Now, A Comfy Bra For Every Woman
Super soft fabric
The buttery soft fabric is the first thing you'll notice when trying on an Elli Bralette. Our ribbed Spandex/Nylon blend has a gentle compression that feels more like a hug. It also shapes to you, becoming more comfortable as time goes on without losing structure.
No Back Clasp And No Underwire
There's no back clasp, so the bra lies smooth underneath your shirt. There's also no underwire because – ick. And rather than a long tag that always shows or feels scratchy or generally exists without reason, the Elli Bralette tag is printed on the band's inside to avoid skin irritations.
Nipple Concealing Petals Heat Sealed Into Place
Most importantly, each Elli Bralette has two nipple concealing petals that are heat sealed in place to provide guaranteed nipple concealment – WITHOUT FOAM. That's right, ladies. No more molded cups or layers of foam that distort your natural shape.
And since the Elli sits snugly against your skin without digging in (assuming you're wearing the right size), you don't have to worry about gaping cups either.
This is the comfy bra that customers rave about. They wear it to work, to the gym, to go out – even to sleep! It's so comfortable that it's easy to forget you're even wearing it.
And it's the exact bra that I was searching for all those years ago! All I wanted was to feel more comfortable in my own skin so I could focus on what actually mattered rather than worrying about my damn nips all the time.