sports bras
We’re big fans of supporting ourselves: emotionally, physically, mentally, and breastfully. Let’s chat design, support, feel, and sustainability.
Lululemon Energy Bra
These are the perfect “wear anywhere” sports bras. We wear them to yoga class, to work, to lounge. They’re perfectly comfortable, and if you get the right size, don’t dig into the shoulders or ribcage. The straps are smooth and rounded, so there’s no hard seam edge pinching against your skin, and no metal or plastic bits anywhere. We love the sweat-wicking abilities (bye, boob sweat), patterns that are cute enough that we don’t want to cover up, and removable cups. (We always remove the cups unless it’s, like, a really cold day) This bra isn’t the best for running or other higher-intensity workouts, as it’s designed for medium support. It’ll definitely withstand a 20-minute jog though.
They hold up really well in the washer and dryer (no pilling or discoloration, except for that one time we tried black charcoal deodorant while wearing our white bra…) and make it easy to go shirt-free in hotter environments. Something we don’t love? With bigger movements (some yoga poses, heavier workouts) the band can sometimes scrunch up higher on the ribcage, which creates a small but visible bulge under the shirt.
And Lululemon is on the road to sustainability: they have great sustainability goals that they’ll achieve by 2025, so they’re definitely not leading the movement here, but are moving toward reducing their planetary impact. They do, however, partner with non-profits, provide free yoga gear, offer grants, and support disaster relief workers, and we really love that.
Athleta Exhale Bra in Powervita
For comfort, this is the bra you’ll want. It provides a little less support (on purpose! It’s meant for low-intensity activity) but fits very comfortably against the skin. We love the Powervita fabric— it causes very little friction, even when worn all day. These are great bras for heated environments, as they dry faster than other brands AND offer UPF protection (keep our girls safe!). There are removable pads, too, which let you choose your level of extra oomph and warmth.
These bras hold up pretty well in the washer/dryer, but after a year or so, we’ve found that they do develop some pilling. And this cut can show a little too much cleavage for our yoga practice to feel totally comfortable. We do like the solid designs, but wish there were more colors and more patterns available.
The best part about this sports bra: Athleta is a B-Corp! If you haven’t heard that term, certified B-corporations are “businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose,” meaning, they do good. And they do it well. That is definitely a plus for us.
Outdoor Voices Doing Things Bra
The style of this bra is more sporty than our other selections, and we feel very comfortable wearing it without a shirt on top. Plus, the colors and patterns they offer are beautiful and we don’t even want to cover up! This bra keeps everything in place without causing uniboob, and has a great sweat-wicking technology. The back is made of a mesh material that also keeps us cool in hotter environments and adds to that sporty look. Surprisingly, the support is low-to-medium, although it gives the appearance of a high-support bra. Not a problem for yoga, work, casual, and lounging of course.
We’ve found that the sizing can be a bit tricky on this bra, so we had to size down in order to get the right fit. Other than that, we’ve had no complaints! We’re glad for the removable pads (away with them!) and that they seem to reduce bounce and movement in the more intense poses and activities.
Sustainability? It’s definitely something they value. They put energy toward creating and using fabrics that don’t end up in landfills, and can be recycled back into the clothing process. They’ve got a ways to go, but they’re transparent about their goals and practices, and we support that!