Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1532683
TRENDSETTER / SHAPEWEAR T here is "no other piece of apparel more difficult to design well than a sports bra because of all the opposing constraints around comfort and support, stability and range of motion," according to Creative Fitness Solutions Founder La Jean Lawson. e exec has pursued the perfect sports bra since 1978, when she ran her first marathon. Lawson obtained two graduate degrees in sports bra science and conducted research at Utah State University with the original Jogbra. While brands have made progress over the years, she maintains that a constant quest for newness every season tends to usurp many positive endeavors. Lawson's guidance to brands is "if you can make a sports bra look and feel like what women are used to, and actually have it be higher performing and more sustainable – you can hopefully check the boxes without creating a monster." We chatted with Lawson about the highs and lows of sports bra design and development. You've been in the industry decades, what has changed in sports bras during that time? Lawson: "is year celebrates 40 years since my first biomechanical research. I had 37 years at Champion, which gave me the opportunity to be a part of so many firsts in sports bras. Even in the beginning, execs said 'we think that our customers aren't buying the right bras for their body type.' It's still an issue. ey wanted to understand the supportiveness of bras and make a system that was easy for understand for women to say this is my size, my sport and the impact associated with it. We literally made a wheel to dial at retail to match body type and sport. One of the biggest mistakes women probably make is not understanding those two things." Tell me about some of the testing you have done. "What was so cool about working for Jogbra (maker of the first sports bra, which was later sold to Champion) is that twice a year I would motion-control test the new offerings before they went on the market. We would also take the competing brands and test them to understand the good, bad and ugly. en there is all of my field testing over the years – probably thousands of women. At textileinsight.com Winter 2025 ~ Textile Insight • 19 BUILDING A SOLID FOUNDATION Sports Bras are Notoriously Challenging to Create. Dr Sports Bra, LaJean Lawson, Talks Best Practices. By Suzanne Blecher LaJean Lawson, founder of Creative Fitness Solutions.