Building a BRAnd.
Hi,
I'm Jade.
Unlike Mike, you won't see me in front of the camera very often.
I'm usually somewhere behind the scenes looking at samples, replying to customers or reminding Mike that not every idea needs to happen immediately.
But this one felt personal.
I've always believed something...
If you can build a really great sports bra, you're halfway to building a great sportswear brand.
Not because bras are glamorous.
Quite the opposite.
They're the hardest product to get right.
Every woman is different.
Every body is different.
Every bust is different.
And every stage of life changes your body again.
I'm a 34DD, so creating a sports bra that could actually contain these puppies 😂 was always going to be high on my priority list. ( A medium in Exsto for reference)
Then I became a mum.
And nobody prepares you for what happens next.
People tell you your life will change.
Your sleep will disappear.
Your routine will never be the same.
What nobody really talks about is how much your body changes.
Not just during pregnancy.
Afterwards.
Breastfeeding.
Hormones.
Training again.
Your favourite sports bra suddenly doesn't feel like your favourite sports bra anymore.
Something that fitted perfectly twelve months ago now feels completely different.
That experience completely changed the way I looked at product design.
It made me realise something.
We're not designing products for mannequins.
We're designing them for real women.
Women who have had children.
Women training for their first 5K.
Women doing Hyrox.
Women lifting weights.
Women who just want to feel comfortable walking the dog.
One bra will never suit every single woman.
And I actually think pretending otherwise is dishonest.
Do I think we've built a sports bra that we're incredibly proud of?
Absolutely.
We have hundreds of five-star reviews from women who tell us it's the best sports bra they've ever owned. Of course I am biased but I truly believe its amongst the best sports bra in the world.
Some women have bought them in every colour.
Others email us asking when their favourite colour is coming back into stock.
Those messages never get old.
But do I think we've built the perfect sports bra?
No.
Not yet.
Because every week we still receive emails from women saying...
"I love it, but I wish..."
"I wish the band was slightly different."
"I wish there was another size."
"I wish there was a little more support."
Those emails don't frustrate me.
They're the reason we keep improving.
Because every one of those women matters.
If we can make Exsto better for the next person, we should.
That's why we test.
Retest.
Change.
Sample.
Start again.
And sometimes throw away months of work because we know it still isn't good enough.
That obsession doesn't stop with our bras either.
Once you've spent hours debating a shoulder strap, you start looking at everything differently.
Our leggings.
Our running shorts.
Our tanks.
Our hoodies.
Every single product goes through the same process.
Could it be better?
Would I wear it?
Would I recommend it to my sister?
Would I recommend it to my best friend?
If the answer isn't yes...
It doesn't make it.
Some days it still feels surreal that women choose Exsto over brands like Gymshark, Alo and DFYNE.
They're incredible companies.
They have teams much bigger than ours and marketing budgets we can only dream of.
Yet every day women choose to support a small family business from Northern Ireland instead.
That will never stop amazing me.
So if you've ever bought one of our bras...
Whether it became your favourite...
Or whether you sent us feedback that helped us improve...
Thank you.
You're helping shape the future of Exsto.
And I promise you this.
We'll never stop listening.
We'll never stop improving.
And I'll never stop chasing the sports bra that every woman deserves.
Jade 🤍