WoW Woman in FemTech | Bella Trang Ngo, founder of Brarista

Interview by MarijaButkovic

Bella Trang Ngo is the CEO and co-founder of Brarista. Brarista is an AI-enabled bra-fitter that enables women to shop for the correct fitting bra, using any digital camera. Bella is passionate about Fem-tech, breast-related research, and empowering the next generation of consumer tech.

Bella, tell us a little bit about yourself and your background. 

I’m Bella! I grew up in Vietnam, with all my family originating from there. I moved to London at 18 to complete my undergraduate degree in Economics at UCL. I soon realized Economics wasn't my true passion but I fell in love with London and had the best experiences at UCL. After completing the undergraduate degree, I worked for a year in various roles until I understood that I have been an entrepreneur since I was a teenager ( I set up my own first business at 12!) and that this was the path I had to follow. So I started my Masters in Entrepreneurship… then I suppose the rest is history!

What inspired you to start Brarista? When did you start and how would you describe the journey so far? 

I set out at first to create a clothing line for heavier chested women in professional environments. However, what kept coming up again and again in interviews was their bras and how that affected not only how their clothes fit but also caused pain. It was so clear to me that without well-fitting bras that bra-wearers can feel extremely uncomfortable. Also, it is shocking to learn that 80% of womxn are wearing the wrong bra! On top of this, the usual major department stores which offer bra-fitting services, usually use a tape measure method. This method is only proven to be 30% accurate in comparison to ‘eye-sight’ bra-fitters (professionally trained employees who are able to know your size just by eye-sight). Eye-sight bra fitters are much more expensive for retail stores, hence the lack thereof. 

From learning all this and then working as a bra-fitter, I could see how great it would be if we could replicate a professional bra fitter using technology. Hence, Brarista was founded in 2019! The journey so far has been full of excitement, challenges, and lots of growth. However, we have an incredibly passionate and dedicated team that inspires me every day.

At what stage are you with your company now, what are some of the exciting projects you’re working on at the moment and what are you planning in the future? 

We are in our ‘beta’ building phase, so developing our technology. Two exciting projects we are working on are; Boost and Wear My Freedom. Our partnership with Boost is helping womxn who have had a mastectomy due to breast cancer find a breast form size that fits their body. By doing virtual bra fittings, we were able to help over 50 women feel more confident in their breast form! Wear My Freedom, is a brand that is looking to change the way bras are worn, particularly unwired bras. I have been working with them to offer virtual bra-fitting services. So far it has been a great success and consumers have made fewer returns, bought more and i get lots of emails with positive feedback!

What were some of the challenges you’ve faced as an entrepreneur and what is the most rewarding thing about being one? 

I think the biggest challenge any entrepreneur can face is the belief that you are the one for the job. It can be incredibly overwhelming initially to really back yourself, particularly if you are a female from an ethnic minority. That has been my main challenge for sure, which is why it's so great we have things like Women of Wearables, creating a supportive network of women.

The most rewarding thing about being an entrepreneur is that there is a real possibility you can make a great impact in the world. I think in the end I want to make the world a better, more equal place and I feel that I can do that being an entrepreneur.

Tell us a bit more about how Brarista works and the problem that you are solving. 

Brarista is in a nutshell B2B2C computer-vision aided bra-fitting solution democratizing professional bra fitting to help end the problem of 80% of women wearing the wrong bra size.

In your opinion, how will the experience of how we shop change in the next couple of years? What is the future of retail and how will online shopping change? 

I feel like it's quite clear all our sales are moving online, especially with coronavirus! I think this will only continue, with all of our major retail players having a great online shopping service. Within lingerie, the trend is going to be shifting toward online sales & online fittings. Your whole end to end service will be online. Brarista is here to pioneer the online bra -fitting service by creating a technology that replicates a professional eyesight bra fitter.

You are collaborating with Wear My Freedom. Tell us more about the collaboration and the feedback so far. 

Wear My Freedom, is a brand that is looking to change the way bras are worn, particularly unwired bras. I have been working with them to offer virtual bra-fitting services. 

So far it has been a great success! The lovely customers have made fewer returns, bought more, and seem to be super happy. Fewer returns also mean less packaging, providing a much more sustainable option.

You can still book bra fittings with me - jump to wear my freedom to get your bra fit with me :).

The bra is much more than just a piece of clothing. It affects our posture and our health, and yet around 80% of women wear ill-fitting bras. Why is that so? Why hasn’t there been more innovation in this space so far? 

Bras are definitely so much more than a piece of clothing! It is something many of us wear every day, for the majority of the day. A wrong size bra has so many implications, from pain & discomfort to lower participation in sport. As you can imagine, it has a great impact on a bra-wearers life. 

I think there hasn’t been much innovation in this space, as lingerie has been designed by men without women in mind. It is such a common story that so much of what women wear today are designed by men. We are seeing more innovation than ever in this space now, as women have finally had enough of mediocre solutions and want to design something for women. 

What’s one piece of advice you would give to someone looking to start their own company? 

I think it’s important to have grit and build a team of people who can help bring your ambition to life. Starting a startup of any size can be draining and stressful at the beginning. It’s also important to keep up the stamina and a sense of optimism to get you through the hard days. 

What does the Women In Tech movement mean to you? 

It’s about feeling that you are welcome, you belong and your voice matters.  

Who are you 3 inspirational women in tech and why? 

Youmna Mouhamad, Alex Haslehurst, Debbie Wake for their authenticity and genuine willingness to support and inspire other female innovators. Of course, I too admire them for their entrepreneurial drive in breaking down boundaries and building a better future for all. 

Find out more about Brarista on their website, and follow them on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

This interview was conducted by Marija Butkovic, Digital Marketing and PR strategist, founder, and CEO of Women of Wearables. She regularly writes and speaks on topics of wearable tech, fashion tech, IoT, entrepreneurship, and diversity. Follow Marija on Twitter @MarijaButkovic.