“If you want something done right, sometimes you have to do it yourself.” Athena Kasvikis waited a long time for a lingerie company to design a bra for her and the 50+ million other women, in the US alone, who need DD to I cups but 30-38 bands.
Athena found ways to get by—none of them very satisfactory. When she was in high school, she had to wear two, sometimes three, sports bras to keep her FF-cup breasts compressed as she ran around the field. Later, she concocted a “Franken-bra” by buying XXL wire-free bras and sewing the backs together so she could sleep comfortably. She suffered from unattractive and painful “quad boobs,” deep indentations and redness on her shoulders, and that sad feeling of never looking quite right in her clothes.
One day, at dinner with a friend who was also discouraged about being ignored by the lingerie industry, Athena sketched out her vision of the perfectly designed bra for the “Curvy In-Between” consumers (those with fuller busts and traditional band measurements). She imagined two fabric “seat belts” coming out of each cup that would keep the breasts secure no matter what your position. She enlisted her mother to sew a bra based on the design, and Behave Bras’ Wireless Lounge Bra was born—wire free, supportive, comfortable and glamorous.
Behave Bras Features
- The bras are made with super-soft, high-quality stretch lace and the softest elastic Athena could find.
- Sport mesh is used for extra support.
- Custom-designed seams provide complete vertical and horizontal support.
- Wide padded straps eliminate the unsightly and painful shoulder dents.
- Each bra follows the same design but comes in different types of lace and colors: Nudist, Phantom and Big Cat.
- Sizes are 1 through 8 that range from 30DD to 38I.
Behave Bras Stayz Technology
- The genius of Behave Bras is Stayz, unique pieces of stretch fabric inside each cup. Pull the Stayz around the curve of each breast to curb the jiggle or “catch and hold” the breasts in place while lying on your side. Tuck the Stayz inside of the cups for a sweetheart neckline or bralette look.
- Gives the bras underwire support without the torture of underwires.
- Helps prevent cleavage wrinkling over time.
- Separates the breasts when you’re standing up and eliminates boob smash and boob sweat.
Athena took a courageous leap when she went into the lingerie business. She had earned an MBA in Brand Management and Strategy from the University of Rochester’s Simon Business School and worked in marketing and branding with some big companies, including Procter & Gamble’s lines, Vicks NyQuil and DayQuil and Gillette. She was involved with operations, coupon strategy, media buying, marketing, sales, and working with major retailers and that gave her insight into entrepreneurship and planted the seed that she could have her own business. But the lingerie industry was completely foreign to her. Her strong suit was her affinity for the consumer and her first-hand experiences with bras.
Athena contacted a bunch of lingerie companies looking for some help to get started, but they were not exactly welcoming. Fortunately, she found Jonathan Weisberg and brought him onto her team as COO. He added his invaluable experience in and knowledge of the lingerie industry, a lot of contacts, and his overall know-how in apparel, textiles and consumer goods.
As Athena and Jonathan look to the future, they provide for their consumers sports bras, day bras, and swim wear.
Behave Bras Gives Back to Women
Athena gives free virtual fittings for all who sign up on her website. Sometimes the women become Behave customers. Sometimes the women do not fit in with the Behave brand. In that case, Athena recommends other brands that will better serve the woman. She spends time showing each woman how to find her correct bra size, helping her become comfortable with her body, and sharing the importance of body positivity.
Athena also mentors female entrepreneurs/inventors. She doesn’t want other women to run into all the closed doors that she did. She shares everything that she learned the hard way without a thought that these women may end up competing with her. Her philosophy is that there is room for everyone.
