The new bralette designed to support women with Parkinson’s disease

Global update

Author: Sophie ParrottPublished: 22 December 2022

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Woman wearing bra

Francisca Ruiz González, co-founder of Con P de Párkinson, talks about the challenges of wearing a bra with a condition like Parkinson’s – and how these challenges inspired a unique collaboration with lingerie brand Serendipity


“Wearing a bra can be incredibly difficult when you live with a neurodegenerative condition like Parkinson’s,” explains Francisca Ruiz González, co-founder of Con P de Párkinson – a Spain-based blog championing women with the condition to share their experiences and to feel heard.

“Your hands shake, or your arms are stiff – sometimes because of the progression of the condition and sometimes because of the fluctuations. You can’t reach, you can’t remember how many hooks there are on your bra, and your fingers refuse to get it right.”

These challenges, coupled with a lack of attractive sports bra options, led Con P de Párkinson on a mission: to find a stylish and accessible bra alternative for women with the condition.

Francisca, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2012, believed several features were key for this bra to properly support women in the community. “It was clear to me that this ideal bra had to meet certain criteria: have no back hooks, use sustainable materials, be cute – and be made here in Spain,” she says.

Woman wearing bra

Nuria Langa wearing the ‘Paris’ bralette.

A supportive collaboration

After reaching out to lingerie brands in Spain to communicate their vision, Con P de Párkinson successfully joined forces with Barcelona-based company Serendipity.

Francisca explains that Serendipity’s owner, Carlotta Jurado, empathised with the challenges they described. So, they collaborated to create a bra with the aim of meeting the needs of women with Parkinson’s. The bralette, which is named ‘Paris’, has a fastener at the front and has been designed for easy, everyday use.

While this new bra design is helping to increase accessible clothing options for the Parkinson’s community, Con P de Párkinson member Sabela Avión Martinez says that the initiative will likely help all women.

“What we are finding out is that not only women with Parkinson’s are interested in a cute bra that fastens at the front, but many women find it really cool,” she says. “It doesn’t matter if you have problems with your hands or not – many people identify with the difficulties of fastening a bra at the back.”

Lead image credit: Carlotta Jurado


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