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Spacer bra – The perfect choice when you don’t want to compromise
10 May 2019 8:17 AM
A bra with a padded cup that doesn’t become hot and sweaty. Does that exist? Absolutely. With a spacer bra you don’t need to compromise on design, comfort or function.
Once upon a time a bra was just a bra and its only function was to keep the bust in place, and a fabric was just a fabric. But that was a long time ago. Nowadays, there is a wealth of different bra types, one for every possible occasion in life, not to mention fabrics! Functional fabrics with all kinds of properties have been produced over the years, some more successful than others. Undergarments may not be the first thing you think of when you hear ‘functional fabrics’, rather the thoughts go to sportswear or outdoor wear. But functional fabrics are also optimal for undergarments.
“Women make other demands of their bras now than even 20 years ago”
Never underestimate the material in a bra
The bra is the garment you wear nearest the body (yes, that and your panties) and, like most others, you probably wear at least one other garment on top. If you’re very unlucky, it can become like a sauna, especially if you’re going through the menopause, have hot flushes for other reasons, at warm times of the year or maybe if you are very active at work. On days like these, a bra can sometimes be uncomfortable to wear. If it’s too hot, the seams, elastic and shoulder straps are more likely to start rubbing or itching if you have very sensitive skin. So, which material should you use for undergarments to avoid becoming hot?
“Functional fabrics are optimal not just for sportswear but also for undergarments”
The big challenge for a producer of quality bras is for the materials of the undergarments to keep their shape so they can be used in, for example, a moulded cup. They should also let the skin breathe and they must retain their elasticity and not stretch or lose their shape while still being strong enough to provide support.
Confident bra with cups in spacer fabric that lets the skin breathe provides support and keeps the skin dry
Undergarments made in fabrics that don’t absorb moisture from the body give a dryer feel and less sweaty clothes. Some materials provide good support and breathe but bind moisture. Many light functional fabrics breathe and lead the moisture away but don’t provide the best support, requiring extra lining and padding, which is counterproductive as the bra is no longer right next to the skin and becomes neither thin or light nor breathes! Other sturdier fabrics keep their shape and provide good support for the bust but don’t let the skin breathe.
“Sometimes it can feel like an impossible task to find an optimal bra, but there are solutions”
If you’re also looking for that perfect round shape, a moulded cup with light padding is a great choice. But if there is one material that becomes sweaty on hot days it’s got to be padding! Phew, it feels like an impossible task, doesn’t it? Can you really get everything in one and the same fabric?
Spacer ticks all the boxes
But it’s not a problem without a solution, and that’s because spacer is the answer. A spacer bra combines all of the above advantages in one and the same product, which has made it increasingly popular in recent years. A spacer bra is padded yet feels so light you hardly notice it.
“Spacer provides support, lets the body breathe and can be moulded”
It provides support and gives the bust a round shape. It is simply the optimal T-shirt bra! And it leads away the body heat and keeps you dry. A win, win! But how can it be all of the above at once?
"A spacer bra allows air to circulate through the material, which helps to lead away moisture and heat from the body."
Spacer – thick but light
The spacer fabric is thick (usually between 1.5 and 5.5 mm) but feels airy and very light. It gives a lovely luxurious feel. Compare it with the normal foam padding of approx. 3 mm used in most bra models today and the spacer fabric is much lighter. If you press it between your thumb and index finger, the material feels suppressed and ‘fluffy’, like a sponge. It’s almost like that lovely feeling when you press bubble wrap – you just can’t stop pressing it!
The spacer material we use is only 2.5 mm thick and doesn’t increase the volume of the bust.
Despite the material being so airy and not very compact it provides good stability and support, making it perfect for use in the cups of a bra. It is commonly used in contour bras and T-shirt bras as the padding gives the bust a perfect round shape. If you place a spacer bra on a flat surface, for example a table, the cup already has a defined round shape. But how can such a thick material be so cool?
“A spacer bra is padded yet so light you almost don’t notice it”
Air and feel – the technology behind spacer
A traditional fabric is two-dimensional and made with two threads, but spacer is three-dimensional and has a further thread. If we look at a cross-section of spacer fabric, you can clearly see that it consists of three layers.
The spacer layer consists of a third thread that builds up the height of the material.
The outer and inner layers lead away heat and moisture, keeping the material dry. These are common characteristics of functional materials for, for example, thermal clothing and sportswear, but what makes spacer three-dimensional is the layer in the middle, the so-called spacer layer.
“Spacer is three-dimensional. The middle layer allows air to circulate. The upper and under layer lead away moisture and heat.”
The spacer layer consists of vertical pile fabric with air pockets between the threads. The pockets allow the air to circulate freely between the two outer layers giving a cool and comfortable feel. In practice this means that the material is thick but weighs almost nothing.
“A spacer bra combines an incredible number of advantages in one and the same product”
If you’re looking for a padded cup but think traditional foam padding is too hot or sturdy, then choose a spacer bra. Don’t be fooled by the light feel: it offers very good support of the kind that used to require much sturdier material or thick padding. With a spacer bra, you get all the advantages without having to compromise. Say goodbye to sweaty bras!
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