She left a Silicon Valley VC to solve a problem that had gone untouched for 88 years, and her bra brand is now the fastest‑growing at Nordstrom

(SeaPRwire) –   As Women’s History Month concludes, here’s an interesting fact: A significant patent for bras had remained unchanged for 88 years until Bree McKeen decided to address it.

In 1931, inventor Helene Pons received a U.S. patent for a brassiere that featured an open-ended wire loop designed to support the bottom and sides of each breast. This rigid and uncomfortable design had largely gone without alteration for almost a century and continues to be the prevailing style in the global bra market, which is projected to reach nearly $60 billion by 2032.

Before McKeen, no one had filed a patent for an underwire replacement. She left her job at a Silicon Valley venture capital firm to tackle a personal issue. After long days performing due diligence on consumer healthcare companies, she would return home with shoulder indentations and persistent tension headaches from hours spent hunched over her desk.

While her workload was demanding, the real culprit was her bra.

However, McKeen had no prior experience in fashion. She studied medical anthropology and obtained her MBA from Stanford. The pivotal moment for her occurred in a physiologist’s office, where she was working on her posture in conjunction with regular barre training.

“He said, ‘Your posture looks great,’” McKeen recalled. “And I blurted out: ‘When I stand like this, my bra causes me pain.’”

The physiologist explained that this was a neuromuscular feedback loop, similar to how the body automatically reacts to pain, like a pebble in a shoe.

“Here I am, putting in all this effort to carry myself with authority and poise, and I discover my bra is doing the complete opposite,” McKeen stated. “Your body doesn’t need to be told to curl around pain. It just does it.”

She had zero fashion experience. She filed a patent anyway

This realization prompted McKeen to make a significant career change, sacrificing a career in venture capital but launching one of the most subtly revolutionary brands in women’s fashion (Evelyn & Bobbie is now the fastest-growing brand at Nordstrom). She relocated to Portland, a hub for major brands like Nike, Adidas, and Columbia, seeking inspiration and proximity to new professional connections.

She began experimenting with prototypes in her garage and promptly filed for intellectual property protection. This move was informed by her venture capital background, knowing that a woman-led company would require such protection to secure funding.

McKeen obtained her first utility patent (a more robust and defensible type that covers functionality rather than just appearance) within a year. While the brand declined to disclose its funding amounts, it now holds 16 international patents for its proprietary EB Core technology, which replicates the support and structure of underwire without causing discomfort.

Photo courtesy Evelyn & Bobbie

To illustrate the importance of protecting her intellectual property, it’s worth noting that as of 2019, only 12% of patents in the U.S. were awarded to women, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. McKeen holds six of these patents, safeguarding the unique 3D-sling technology in her bras.

The brand McKeen founded, Evelyn & Bobbie, named in honor of her maternal grandmother and aunt, operates on a straightforward principle: a bra that fits well and feels comfortable all day long.

“I wanted a bra that improved how my clothes looked on me,” McKeen said, an ambition that echoes the beginnings of Spanx founder Sara Blakely’s now-$1.2 billion shapewear empire. “Wire-free bras tend to create a ‘mono boob’ effect, which isn’t flattering. They make clothes look shapeless. I desired proper lift, separation, and an attractive silhouette. I couldn’t find that bra. It seemed quite unbelievable, really.”

The average U.S. bra size is 34F. Most brands design for something much smaller

With numerous major brands like Victoria’s Secret, Aerie, Third Love, Savage X Fenty, and many others in the market, Evelyn & Bobbie operates in a highly competitive landscape. However, as most women know, not all bras are comfortable to wear, particularly for extended periods.

“Every woman I spoke with had about 20 bras in her drawer, but she only wore two or three—the unattractive, comfortable ones she felt she shouldn’t wear in public,” McKeen commented.

Evelyn & Bobbie distinguishes itself through its approach to sizing. McKeen designs using 270 fit models across seven easy sizes, grading each style individually rather than simply scaling up from a single sample.

“Most bra companies use one or two fit models,” she explained. “They’ll create a 34B and just scale it up, which is why it doesn’t fit well in larger sizes.

Photo courtesy Evelyn & Bobbie

McKeen highlighted that the average bra size in the U.S. is a 34F, a statistic that surprises most people, including early investors she had to persuade that comfort was a significant selling point.

“I had numerous investor meetings where, out of a 60-minute session, 50 minutes were spent trying to convince them that comfort was relevant,” she said. “I mean, Victoria’s Secret seemed to grasp this, right? They focused on sexiness, assuming that’s all women desired?”

Currently, McKeen maintains a dedicated Slack channel for customer testimonials, has partnered with Dr. Nina Naidu, a New York-based plastic surgeon who recommends the bras to her post-operative patients, and is developing a sports bra line.

As a luxury product, Evelyn & Bobbie bras come with a premium price tag of $98 each. However, for some women, this cost may be justified by the avoidance of chronic pain.

“Comfort is the new luxury,” she asserted. “We invest in yoga pants that make us look and feel great. I intend to make the premium bra the standard for the future.”