I could listen to this woman talk about bras all day! Kimberly Hamilton is basically a walking encyclopedia of bra knowledge, especially when we're talking about the full bust size range. Besides all that, Kim's story is incredibly inspiring, she has an uncanny breadth and depth of knowledge and experience garnered from decades of working in the industry in Canada and Europe. She's worked with both small retailers and large corporations like Lululemon, she's battled breast cancer, and she is now running her own boutique bra store providing individual bra fitting and access to great products in her store Kimtimates in Red Deer, Alberta.

Make sure you stay tuned until the end, Kim gave us an extra special bonus in helping me identify fit issues of a couple of sports bras I was testing out. I'm happy to get to share her beautiful mind filled with juicy bra knowledge.

https://www.kimtimates.com/

In this episode of Underdressed, I sit down with custom bra maker and teacher Linda Crawford. Linda shares her incredible journey from scuba diving instructor to becoming one of the most respected voices in bra making in Canada. We talk about her early days working alongside Beverly Johnson at Bra-Makers Supply, the birth of a bra making community, and what she’s learned from decades of fitting every kind of body. We also dive into why custom bra making is such a rare skill, how teaching has shaped her expertise, and how cultural shifts continue to influence lingerie design today.

Other episodes mentioned:

E42 Monica of Bravo Bellas on Learning as Empowerment

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2cPrcrE7V6ZU8q52KlwfmX?si=311107c8e00a4c4a

E5 Ruhee Rajan on The Value of Custom Bras

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5cSmfMa9vHWia3tbSLLw2I?si=dd34437556984ea5

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Find Monica here

https://bravobella.teachable.com/

https://www.instagram.com/bravobellabras/

In this episode of Underdressed, we speak with Monica O’Rourke, founder of Bravo Bella and creator of the Bra Making Mentorship — a 10-month program designed to meet sewists where they are and guide them through the technical, creative, and often emotional journey of bra making.

Monica shares how her upbringing in a family-owned fabric store shaped her maker mindset from an early age, and how she later combined her background in teaching math and science with her deep knowledge of bra construction to develop a unique and empowering approach to lingerie education.

The conversation explores the complexity of bra making, from the technical nuances of fit and pattern alteration to the psychological barriers many people face when trying to make garments that work for their bodies. Monica emphasizes the importance of learning in community and reframing “mistakes” as discoveries — moments that move us forward in our craft and in our confidence.

We also discuss the limitations of ready-to-wear sizing, the underrepresentation of custom bra makers in our communities, and how Monica’s mentorship aims to shift that narrative by equipping more people to design, fit, and create intimate apparel that truly works.

This episode is a powerful reflection on skill-building, self-trust, and the radical act of making garments that support us — literally and emotionally.