From The Hustle (Your 5-minute brief on business & tech news), August 17:
Launching and scaling a startup is no easy task. That is, unless you have Taylor Swift backing your product.
The pop star’s economic pull is so strong, she can turn a one-off outfit appearance into a sell-out, a casual lyric into a travel pilgrimage — and, apparently, an unsexy, medical-grade garment into a viral must-have.
Forme Science’s Power Bra — a $182 FDA-registered, posture-correcting wearable — saw sales climb 400% in 2024 after fans spotted her wearing the undergarment in an Eras Tour photo, per Inc.
But while Swift's approval gave the bra a major lift, its lasting success is thanks to its innovative design and versatility.
How it works
- Instead of straps, braces, or tape, the Power Bra uses eight fabric panels with varying tensions to gently pull your shoulders back and align the spine.
- It helps relax overactive upper back muscles while activating underused lower back muscles to retrain posture and alleviate pain.
Forme Science founder Stephen Liu, a 65-year-old former orthopedic surgeon, and his son (probably not the masterminds you imagined behind the bra) worked with textile and biomechanical engineers to design it after observing his mother’s posture deteriorate during late-stage cancer....
....MUCH MORE
- Lazard Notes Bare Escentuals As Recession-Resistant (BARE) and Climateer thinks of Bras
- Questions Americans Want Answered: "Is the Army’s New Tactical Bra Ready for Deployment?" (and what about the radioactive cockroaches)
....Among the many ceremonies we've linked to, the 2013 event stands out as especially far-seeing/borderline psychic:
"Announcing: The 2013 Ig Nobel Prize winners"
Public Health prize demonstration Ig Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Elena Bodnar demonstrates her invention (a brassiere that can quickly convert into a pair of protective face masks) assisted by Nobel laureates Wolfgang Ketterle (left), Orhan Pamuk, and Paul Krugman (right). Photo credit: Alexey Eliseev, 2009 Ig Nobel Ceremony ....