Hate is a strong word, but my frustration with Freya, and my aloneness in this feeling, is probably the biggest reason why I felt a need to have my own lingerie blog even though there are a lot of really great ones out there already. I just get tired of hearing Freya described as a conquering hero and the ultimate champion of big boobs, when a lot of their designs and choices cause me to resent them. Here’s why.
1. Freya doesn’t design their bras to look good on big boobs. I know this isn’t a popular viewpoint, but I really believe that Freya missed the boat ages ago on how to design for big boobs. Their bras look great on F cups and thereabouts, but as the cup sizes climb, the proportions of the bra expand clownishly. The wires come up higher and higher between the breasts. The upper lace section gets bigger and bigger, throwing off the aesthetic proportions of the bra if it’s a different color or texture than the rest of the bra. This all translates to bras that look frumpier and frumpier on bigger-boobed customers. I’m not okay with that. Customers who don’t have many bra options will see a photo of a cute, skinny model with F-cups and order the bra, and then be disappointed with the huge difference in how it looks on them. Living in the US and usually not being able to try anything on, and with shipping being so expensive, these unlucky customers will come to terms with the way their bra looks and carry on, feeling a little less cute. Freya never sells their bras using pictures of models with REALLY big boobs because the bras wouldn’t sell then—they’d look unfashionable.
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| Freya Estelle on little boobs |
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| Freya Estelle on big boobs...hmmm |
2. Freya doesn’t listen to their customers. With Panache asking fans on Facebook whether a 26 band might be a good addition, and Curvy Kate and Bravissimo producing every single bra in a huge size range, Freya has gotten totally left behind in terms of sizing. Their cute designs tend to stop at a G cup, and they stated on Facebook that they believe molded cups won’t support boobs above that size. Um, molded cups could easily provide way more support than flimsy fabric. Get it together.
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| Size range for Trudie bra on Bravissimo--gosh, notice what's selling out fastest! |
3. Freya doesn’t understand how to design straps. This complaint may be out of date, since I haven’t bought any Freya bras in about two years, and things may have changed since then. But when I did wear Freya bras all the time, they always had one of two kinds of straps. The first was cute and narrow, but made of a shiny material that slid off my shoulders constantly. The second and more common were these really thick, utilitarian straps that just looked absurd with sleeveless tops. Not only that, they were adorned with a criss-cross pattern of tiny rope which was heinous and always began to fall apart long before the bra wore out, so there were always little strings poking off my shoulders.
4. Freya produces the same exact bra over and over with different names.
Go check out some of their past products. You’ll begin to realize that the Celia is the Estelle is the Nancy is the Latisha—same shape, same lace, just different patterns. The Clarissa is the same as the Lucy and the Antoinette. The Deco bra comes in solid colors as well as patterns but each pattern is named something different: Lydia, Frida, Carly, Crystal. Calling the same bra shape a million different names doesn’t mean you’re really giving your customers options on fit, it just means you’re misleading them. (I’m also bored of Freya’s repetitive designs and twee patterns, but that’s definitely just a matter of personal taste.)
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| Freya Nancy (left) and Latisha--these came out as separate models in the same season! |
I would also like to note, on the other hand, that the Deco is one of the best bras in production, despite Freya's refusal to offer it in anything approaching a diverse size range. I'll write more about it later.
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