By Abbie Miranda
Some fans of the brand have said that they are put off by the price point of a Beija bra. There's pressure on all of us nowadays to consume responsibly and we are all feeling the impending doom of those Attenborough documentaries! With the added considerations we are feeling towards our community through the Pandemic, everyone has a lot more awareness about the power of their pound and the positive repercussions on where they spend it and how that can in turn impact the well being of their community. 
That is why we urge you to consider the long term value of our product, and how many times you will wear your Beija bra vs the retail price of it. Quick sum, divide the retail price by 208 - that's banking on you wearing your Beija bra 2 times a week for 2 years. So £60 divided by 208 wears works out at about 29p per wear! To guarantee the elastic has a chance to bounce back between wears, we advise having 5-6 bras, preferably all Beija (lol) that you wear regularly and can swap between throughout the week.
To give you a little insight into our processes, have a read of the below which should reassure you in regards to the value of a Beija bra!!
First things 1st. We start with the essentials, the fabric. If you listen carefully, and give the fabric the space to shine, it will tell you how it wants to perform. We always use superior quality materials, from suppliers and mills that have reputable and trustworthy standards. To ensure everyone gets paid along the supply chain - Beija needs to feel comfortable with this higher cost. The dynamic colours we choose, which Beija is known for, comes from contributions from the team as well as our take on the mood for the season. But also, our access to the availability of dead stock fabric that is sitting in a warehouse somewhere, patiently waiting to be snapped up and sewn into something beautiful.
Beija's expertise in serving women with great bras comes from a place of collaboration. The team, and the customer loves to chip in and we love to hear it! We rely on the skills and experience of our suppliers to guide us away from the technically impossible, and with over 100 years of combined experience - we better well listen! The design process is sensitive, it's guided by facts and figures as well as passion and our method is holistic. It can be short or long, but it needs energy and an unbroken spot light on the consumers needs and desires.
Our Z bras can have up to 38 pieces and components in 1 single bra. When you consider a T-Shirt, with a similar retail price, can have just 5 pattern pieces, in one fabric and without the same tricky fit responsibilities - it's time that we consider the value of the bra. And question, have we been underpaying for too long? Has the consumer been mislead by the high street at the mercy of standards within the supply chain, and also the brands real time value? All the pieces that go into making a bra, the liners, the outer fabric, the slings, foam padding, elastic, metal hardware all need to come together and do some serious lifting and shaping. They also need to look harmonious in terms of colour, level of shine and balance delicacy with structure.
We love a challenge and want to be respectful to the industry and the skills of the engineers, the majority of whom are women btw that bring a flat design to life and make it into a 3D garment that can lift some serious weight. By keeping the supply chain short and relying on relationships with our manufacturers and suppliers (who are always helping us out) we can oversee ethics, as well as efficiency! Our goal is to always use what is available, rather than knitting more, and minimise the number of fabrics and colours across the range to again, reduce excess processes.
Fundamentally bras are made using elastane, and elastane is not biodegradable. Therefore, our ethos is 'buy less, but buy better' meaning, invest in something that will have a long life. Something that you will literally 'wear to death,' decreasing the need to purchase more to fulfil the same purpose. Have a bra-drobe of around 5-6 really good (Beija) bras that you alternate between. Wearing the same bra everyday isn't hygienic and the elastic won't have a chance to recover and spring back between wears reducing its performance.
If you have changed sizes, and the bra is still perfectly fine, feel confident in giving it a refreshing deep clean and passing it on to a friend. Speaking from experience, don't hoard your 34Bs in the hope you will go back down 4 cup sizes!
Abbie xx
