'I Developed Lululemon's First Mastectomy Bra After My Own Breast Cancer Diagnosis'
In 2019, Sun Choe was diagnosed with breast cancer. The following year, she underwent a double mastectomy. The deeply personal and life-shifting experience ended up setting her on somewhat of an unexpected path. As the chief product officer at Lululemon, Choe soon found herself developing the brand’s first mastectomy bra—applying her own firsthand knowledge to help develop a garment that actually met the comfort needs of women navigating breast cancer surgeries.
“My breast surgeon knew that I worked at Lululemon,” Choe tells WH. “She told me, ‘You and your brand have the perfect opportunity to create a much nicer feeling, much nicer looking mastectomy bra. I think it would be a beautiful thing for you to do.’ ”
The experience, coupled with her surgeon’s words, sparked a fire for Choe—one that was further flamed when she and her team at Lululemon began talking to survivors.
“What we heard so much of—and what I myself experienced—was the need to feel normal and attractive still,” Choe says, adding that many mastectomy bras on the market, while functional, weren’t particularly flattering. “That was what we thought was missing, and that's what we designed and created into.”
The research and development phase officially kicked off in 2020. In addition to interviewing survivors to better understand how they wanted to look and feel in a mastectomy bra, the brand partnered with two cancer centers—Saint John's Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, California, and BC Cancer in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada—to get the technical specs just right.
The biggest takeaway for the Lululemon team after talking to medical experts was that their new bra should have multiple points of adjustment, as breast volume and compression needs can fluctuate post-surgery, whether a woman undergoes a mastectomy or a lumpectomy.
“What we did for our bra that's really not available is we have an under-band adjustability,” Choe says. “We have strap adjustability and adjustability in the back, so it's three points where you can adjust to personalize your compression and the volume of your breast tissue.”
Another design modification the team integrated based on surgeon feedback was to place the side seams farther back so they wouldn’t chafe against healing surgical scars. Buttery brushed fabric amped up the comfort level, while a sleek front-wrap design solved for the frumpy look of many mastectomy bras.
That cute factor was evident right out of the box for Sam Ciaccia, PA-C, CSCS, a fitness specialist and breast cancer survivor, who recently finished her last round of reconstructive surgery and got the opportunity to test the bra firsthand.
“The first thing I noticed was how stylish the bra was,” Ciaccia says. “When I think of mastectomy or surgical bras, they feel outdated. I’m into fashion, so finding something that is functional and looks good is a win for me.”
Ciaccia wore the bra several days in a row for her usual strength-training workout, which included squats, deadlifts, and pullups. (The bra provides light support and isn’t meant for lots of running and jumping.)
The verdict? “Back clasps made it a breeze to get into and out of,” Ciaccia says. “I’m going through hormone treatments (and the accompanying hot flashes), so I appreciated that the fabric had an almost cooling effect. The bra straps can be worn straight or crossed at the back. The cross helped me feel supported without crushing my chest.”
The bra also scored high points from Ciaccia for its adjustability. “What I love about this bra is how I can adjust not only the amount of compression, but also the straps. I really appreciate that they took that into consideration, while also making the bra comfortable and extra cute,” she says. “Breast cancer is a life-changing experience, and all I want is to feel like myself again.”
Lululemon’s Super-Soft Adjustable Front-Wrap Bra retails for $78 and comes in three shades: black, purple, and pink. The bra, which also includes invisible pockets for prosthetics, is available in Lululemon stores starting October 3.
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