[matt-snider]

I read this out to my girlfriend (as well as a few other responses of yours in this thread) and had to ask for clarification on a lot of the terminology (roots, tack, gore - ha, neat!). She designs and sews all of their products herself, and helps some women with fitting but she isn't a bra fitter. We both found your comments very interesting. Thank you!

So a physics simulation would need to include the shape and density distribution of the breasts. Hypothetically, it would then be able to simulate dozens of bras with reference sizes and how this would look (i.e. an image output). At this point an expert system trained on images of good vs bad fit could probably visually recognize common problems and return a few of the best bras. This is probably oversimplifying, and it's already too complicated to actually be done, so I think it's not the right approach.

Do you see any aspect of bra fitting which _would_ benefit from technology? i.e. some kind of specialized fitting tool

[Mezzie]

Bra fitting, no. It's a surprisingly hands on process (one reason I picked it up first as a side hustle was 'oooh automation proof work').

Bra production absolutely. There are certain markets of women who are almost completely neglected when it comes to well fitting bras. Large band small bust (40+ A-D) are completely screwed by the good bra brands. Same for women who are under a 28 or 30 band. The economics just don't make sense for the brands to produce those sizes. Also bras for elderly women or the disabled that have more hooks, rely less on tension, etc. and basically accommodate for mobility or sight limitations.

Where I think tech could be very helpful is marrying JIT manufacturing with CNC fabric cutting to produce single bras or small batches for this economic 'long tail'. Think 1 hour glasses stores where you could go in, get fit, and just have one made if you happen to be one of the neglected demographics.