Adele Kershaw Berlei Interview

Are Your Boobs Playing Their Own Game?

A staggering 40% of Australian women don't wear a sports bra while exercising, a recent survey* has uncovered. With 54% of women expressing concern about their breasts sagging later in life, the importance of educating women on investing in a supportive sports bra is more prevalent than ever.

Berlei have launched their Spring Summer 18' Sport collection with a provocative TVC demonstrating the impact different sports have on women's breasts when they are not wearing a supportive sports bra. Aiming to empower women to care for and invest in themselves by choosing the right sports bra for their chosen sport or favourite type of exercise, Berlei hope to get women thinking about their sports bra like an essential piece of sports equipment.

Most women don't realise the impact that active movement can have on their sensitive breast tissue. It's been reported that an astounding 43% of women are unaware that not wearing a supportive sports bra while exercising can contribute to breast tissue damage that can cause breast-sagging later in life.

Working with the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and their biomechanics team for over 20 years, Berlei have finessed the fine art of ensuring their bras provide the correct support for whichever sport women choose to undertake, whilst still looking stylish. Designing their bras with compression and an encapsulation support system, the technology separates the breasts and supports each one individually within its own cup.

Head Designer for Berlei Innovation, Adele Kershaw said, 'Most women are conscious about how their breasts feel during exercise because they can bounce around, feel uncomfortable and painful, however they are often unaware of the damage that can happen below the surface to the soft tissue and delicate Coopers ligaments inside their breasts if they don't have the correct support. Women are aware of the need for different equipment such as footwear and clothing for different sports, but they need to be aware of the importance of wearing the right sports bra for different sports to prevent this damage.'

Adele continued, 'Our research shows that breasts move differently depending on the sport or activity women are doing, however an astounding 76% of women admit to wearing the exact same sports bra no matter what the activity is. We hope through this campaign we bring to light the importance of wearing the correct sports bra during different exercise activity and encourage women to prioritise their breasts by choosing the correct support when it comes to sport.'

Berlei are the only bra brand in Australia that is tested, endorsed and approved by the AIS, delivering bras that reduce breast bounce by up to 60%. The Support Factor Rating system created with the AIS helps women choose the right sports bra for their sport from low impact to extreme impact activity.

Berlei's Spring Summer 18' Sport campaign aims to empower women to invest in themselves. The new TVC dramatises the impact playing different sports can have on breasts by drawing a correlation between the impact that's seen on soccer, basketball and tennis balls on slow motion replay. The dramatisation urges women to stop their breasts playing their own game. View the new campaign here and shop at berlei.com.au.

Interview with Adele Kershaw, Head Designer for Berlei Innovation

Question: Are you surprised that such a high percentage of women are not wearing a supportive sports bra while exercising?

Adele Kershaw: No…Not wearing a sports bra is actually a common occurrence, especially in smaller breasted women who don't think they need support. However, through our research conducted with the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), it was revealed that an unsupported 12B breast can bounce up to 8cm during high impact exercise.


Question: What impact does not wearing a supportive bra when exercising have on our breasts?

Adele Kershaw: The correct sports bra is essential to maintain breast health. By reducing breast movement and bounce you can minimise the damage to soft tissue known as the Coopers ligaments that give breast shape.

Question: How do we know if our bra is supportive enough to exercise in?

Adele Kershaw: All Berlei sports bras are rigorously tested for performance and bounce reduction in conjunction with the AIS, Biomechanics department and cross reference with activities and impact. We have a reputation for developing the world's best sports bras testing, which allows us to allocate a 'Support factor' rating to all of our bras.


Question: What message do you hope the latest Berlei campaign spreads?

Adele Kershaw: The aim of the campaign is to empower women to invest in and take care of themselves while exercising or playing sport. We really want to educate women around the damage that can occur to breasts when not wearing the correct sports bra during physical activity, as well as the fact that boobs move differently in different sports, so it's important to wear the right sports bra for your chosen sport.


Question: Why did you need to create a controversial TVC to spread this message?

Adele Kershaw: The latest ad shows what women are doing to their breasts during sport when they aren't wearing a supportive sports bra. The ad aims to empower women to care for and invest in themselves by choosing the right sports bra for their sport.


Question: Can you tell us about the Spring Summer 18' Sport collection?

Adele Kershaw: The Spring Summer '18 Sports collection was inspired by connecting with the environment and getting back to nature. The Colour palette is organic, fresh and sophisticated. Perennial Olive and Military tones are paired back with grounding navys and greys with pink softening the palette.

Question: How has the range changed, this year?

Adele Kershaw: For our sports range this year, we've collaborated with amazing female artist Kate Banazi who has brought our print game to the next level by using shredded pieces of paper for her designs. We love the spontaneity in textures which Kate has used!


Interview by Brooke Hunter