How to become a professional Bra Fitter

So you want to become a Bra Fitter? Well done you! It’s a really rewarding career and I am personally thrilled you’re looking in to this as a career path. In this article I am going to guide you through the steps on how to become a professional Bra Fitter. Not surprisingly, there are a few different avenues which I’ll make sure to outline below.

So the various ways to establish yourself as a Bra Fitter are follows:

Join a major retailer and be guided through their training and mentorship programs
Get certified via an in person training program
Get certified vian online training program
Join a small independent retailer and get trained on the job by a passionate business owner or manager

Join a major retailer to become a Bra Fitter

By this option I mean joining a team like Victoria Secret or Nordstrom. These big companies known for their bra fitting have established training programs that are structured to pump out trained Bra Fitters.

The Pros

Their programs are tried and tested, so there is no doubt you’ll be able to move through their programs with relative success.

The Cons

Because these programs are so “cookie cutter” they are generally very simple. They are also usually heavily product focused as opposed to theory and technical bra fitting focused. These in house programs are also usually based on the old school method of bra fitting (adding 4″ to the ribcage measurement to get the ribcage size – oh dear 🤦🏽‍♀️!) . Lastly, your results and overall experience will depend on who is taking you through the training… it may be a superstar employee…. or it could be a dud which will absolutely influence your end result.

My personal thoughts on this option

As you can see from the list above there are way more cons to this then there are pro’s. So overall I don’t think this is a great start into the world of Bra Fitting should you wish to take your occupation further.

This bra fitting training option would probably suit very young women hoping to get in to professional bra fitting that may otherwise lack the life experience to be taken on my a more serious bra fitting business.

Do an online Bra Fitting Course

Thanks to covid there are now a lot more online Bra Fitting course options on the market.

Some examples of this are the following few options:

https://www.bfrin.org/cbf

https://www.fabfitacademy.com/signup/

The Pros

The strong pro for this option are that you are likely being taught by a passionate industry leader. There are also benefits to being able to take on this learning in the evenings and at your own pace etc. A further advantage is the ability to stop start recordings so that you can slow down the content and take it all in at your pace. Lastly, this is also usually a fairly economic way of learning a new skill compared to in person training.

The Cons

Bra Fitting is a pretty tactile job. The act of physically measuring, assessing size and fit, adjusting straps etc all do take some “learning”. This is pretty impossible to do via online learning.

My personal thoughts on this option

There are some definite pros to this style of bra fitting training. Learning the theory is certainly possible via this way of learning. But learning the practical parts of bra fitting can be a challenge in these online bra fitting courses.

Do an in person Bra Fitting Course

Finding an in person Bra Fitting Course is quite the challenge! Especially post covid where so much learning has been transferred to online.

Learning to fit bras in real life training was important to me, so I flew off to London to do so (way back in 2011). Sadly, it’s still hard to find independent in person Bra Fitting training courses in the States.

Here are the ones that I know of:

https://www.puddinglingerie.com/bra-fitting-courses/

https://brafittingcourse.co.uk/pages/bra-fitting-course-location (I personally trained here!)

https://bralady.co.uk/bra-fitting-training/

Noting that some of these will be organised group training and some will be ‘bespoke’.

The Pros

This style of bra fitting training is great for learning both the theory and practical components to bra fitting. Usually run by passionate and experienced bra fitters, meaning you’re learning from the right type of person. This style of training is more likely to be teaching new age bra fitting methods.

The Cons

You will almost definitely have to travel to get this type of training. With so few options around the globe (yes, just a handful around the globe!) you will have to invest significant time and money on travelling. (That’s my idea of money well spent though!)

My personal thoughts on this option

I am a big fan of this type of training. It is much more comprehensive than learning online or at a big retailer like Victorias Secret. I would highly recommend this way of learning for any new bra fitter who is looking to buy or start a bra fitting boutique. Additionally, any one wanting to establish themselves as a well trained professional bra fitter.

Join an independent specialty bra store and get trained on the job

An example of this is joining a locally owned, independent bra store that is owned and operated by a passionate industry veteran. Bearing in mind that not all independent stores are equal. Your outdated, poorly operated bra store that doesn’t stock a good range of brands a sizes is not included in this opportunity.

I’m talking about stores like Petticoat Fair and The Bra Box (these teams both know exactly what they are doing)!

The Pros

Working at a good independent store will set you ahead in both solid theory foundation (likely passed down by the long term manager or owner) and strong practical skills. Another pro is that their range will be size inclusive from a broad spectrum of brands. This is really important as it is hard to hone your craft with limited range or body sizes walking in your door.

The Cons

These jobs can be harder to come by and you really do have to ensure the business is ticking the “quality independent” box which can be hard to figure out if you aren’t across the industry.

My personal thoughts on this option

This is my personally favourite way to get trained as a professional Bra Fitter. With the only con being that you can’t click your fingers and create this learning opportunity.

What about the brand specific training?

A lot of brands offer Bra Fitting courses that they offer to retail store staff. These are a great “extra” but they shouldn’t ever take the place of certified training or being trained by an experienced Bra Fitter. These courses are usually 1-3 hours so also lack any depth or substance. Adding to that, they will be very product focused (these courses are a sales technique) and not very practical focused. A common quote at these style courses is… “Bra Fitting isn’t hard, you just need to…” And that’s when I stop listening. Bra Fitting isn’t simple and that’s why there are few people that are good at it.

What is the difference between a Bra Fitter and a Corsetier

The jury is out on this one… By definition (Merriam-Webster to be exact) a corsetiere is one who makes, fits or sells corsets, girdles, or brassieres.

As you can tell the language in that definition is a bit dated. And in actual fact a Bra Fitter may well be a modern day Corsetiere – it’s just become a irrelevant term.

There are probably very few actual people who make, fit and sell corsets and girdles these days, the occupation as a result a “dying breed”.

You do however see the terms interchanged in some industry environments. So my thoughts are the word Corsetiere is just an outdated term for our modern Bra Fitting Industry.