This One's for the Girls
Inspired by the truss structure and cantilever system commonly used in the architectural design of bridges, Trusst Lingerie Co-founders Sophia Berman and Laura West transformed the ordinary bra into an innovative, underwire-free bra that supports women with full busts.
“We started the company because the market space lacked supportive bras for the DD+ woman. The underwire is the only other real commercialized product used in bras and has been around for over 100 years. We wanted to do something different!” CEO Berman said.
In April 2017, URA’s Rochelle Lilien, senior business development specialist, worked with Berman and West to provide a $100,000 Pittsburgh Entrepreneur Fund (PEF) loan.
“I found out about the URA and PEF through one of our other investors, Innovation Works. I also know other companies who have benefited from the URA and the PEF loan and spoke very highly of the program,” said Berman. “Rochelle and the URA are both very easy and fun to work with! I enjoyed meeting with the [advisory] committee and sharing our story.”
The women-owned company designed a patent-pending BAST (Breast Advanced Support Technology) system that distributes breast weight to the core of women’s bodies, leading to a more comfortable fit. For added comfort, they partnered with chemists at Garmatex Technologies to line the bras with a high-tech fabric featuring wicking and antimicrobial performance.
“The Trusst technology is unique in that it supports more effectively than traditional bras on the market,” said Berman. The advanced design solves the long-endured bra issues that busty women face such as underwire poking, loose or too-tight straps, poor support, and back, shoulder and neck pain.
“I loved working with Sophia and the Trusst team. Sophia had a very well thought out business plan, great traction and such enthusiasm that I knew Trusst would be successful,” Lilien said.
The URA’s investment allowed Trusst Lingerie to boost marketing, initiate development of new products and hire a new Marketing Lead along with a summer intern.
In addition to an online store, Trusst Lingerie opened a new storefront, located at 5125 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15224.
“With the new storefront in Pittsburgh specifically, we have ability to really work with our customers to find the right fit and style that best works for them,” said Berman.
URA staff at Trusst "Meet and Greet"
