Fashion designer reveals secrets to making a good bra

Bras are part of life for countless women but rarely are they hand-made by the wearer.

Regional Victorian fashion designer of more than 35 years, Lesley Aurousseau, is changing that by holding a special bra-making masterclass in Ballarat next month.

Along with regularly teaching sewing classes, Ms Aurousseau makes luxury wedding gowns that feature corsetry and fitted details.

She said she wanted to transfer skills used in gowns, to under-garment.

“Because it’s a bit of a dying trade,” she told ABC Ballarat Breakfast with Steve Martin on Thursday.

What women want

France’s Herminie Cadolle is credited with inventing the first modern bra in the late 19th century, with the garment appearing in a corset catalogue.

Since then bras have become a mainstay in online and bricks-and-mortar clothing retailers.

Despite their ubiquity, Ms Aurousseau said women weren’t finding what they wanted in a bra.

“Fit is one thing, but it’s also the aesthetics … a few of my students have allergies to synthetic fabrics, that’s also a problem nowadays, it’s very hard to find natural fibres in bras,” she said.

She said increased awareness of sustainability and wanting to fight the war on waste has also driven women of all ages and demographics to sign up to the class.

But for others who have signed up for the Ballarat masterclass, the itch to stitch was a lot simpler.

“Some people just want the challenge of being able to make it,” Ms Aurousseau said.

‘Quite fiddly’

Ms Aurousseau said her masterclass would focus on crafting an underwire bra, which was characterised by a rigid piece of material — such as plastic or metal — being sewn under the bra cup for support.

Given the complexity, she said the session on November 11 would be most suited to intermediate to advanced sewers with basic skills, including the ability to sew a seam.

Ms Aurousseau said attaching the cup to the underwire was one of the most challenging parts of construction.

“Because of the size of the garment they’re quite fiddly, and there are quite technical fabrics that are used in the construction,” she said.

“And lots of people have different requirements for what they want in a bra.”