Bravado Designs
The original nursing bra brand — 30 years of supporting new mothers
The Brand That Invented the Modern Nursing Bra
Bravado Designs was founded in 1992 in Toronto, Canada, by two new mothers — Andrea Lukas and Jackie Friedland — who shared a common experience: the nursing bras available to them were appalling. The options in the early 1990s were limited to industrial-looking contraptions with flaps, snaps, and construction so unflattering that many women avoided them entirely, nursing in stretched-out sports bras or going braless despite wanting support. Lukas and Friedland, neither of whom had fashion industry experience, decided that if no one would make a nursing bra they would actually want to wear, they would make it themselves. That DIY determination produced the Original Nursing Bra, which has since become the most recommended nursing bra in North America.
What Makes Bravado Designs Different
Bravado Designs has spent over thirty years doing one thing extraordinarily well: making bras for breastfeeding women. This singular focus means that every design decision is informed by deep expertise in how breasts change during pregnancy, postpartum, and nursing. Their bras accommodate the size fluctuations that occur throughout a single day of breastfeeding — the fullness before a feed, the reduction after — using fabrics and constructions that stretch and recover without losing support. The clip mechanisms are designed to be operable with one hand while holding a baby, a detail that seems obvious but that many competitors still fail to execute.
Key Product Lines
The Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra is their modern bestseller — a four-way stretch, clip-down nursing bra that provides light support in a yoga-bra silhouette. Original Nursing Bra remains the foundation: a cotton, full-coverage design that has been refined over three decades. Ballet Nursing Bra offers a more fashion-forward crossover design. Clip and Pump integrates hands-free pumping capability into nursing bra construction. The Sustainable Collection uses organic cotton and recycled fabrics. Their bras are available in an enormous range of sizes, from 32B to 46H, reflecting the reality that breasts of all sizes produce milk.
Who Bravado Designs Is Best For
Bravado Designs is essential for any woman who is breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed. The brand's three decades of specialisation mean that their bras account for nuances that generalist brands miss: the need for easy one-handed access, the importance of avoiding underwire pressure on milk ducts, and the reality that a nursing mother's size changes not just month to month but hour to hour. Lactation consultants and midwives consistently rank Bravado among their top recommendations.
Price Range
Nursing bras from $40 to $65, pumping bras from $45 to $55. Mid-tier pricing that reflects quality construction and specialist design without burdening new parents financially.
Size Range
32B to 46H in most styles, with some styles using a simplified S-XXL system. This is one of the widest nursing bra size ranges available, ensuring that fuller-busted mothers are not excluded from well-designed nursing support.