The Founder Journey: Meet Bella Trang, Founder of AI Fitting Bra Company Brarista

What if expert bra fittings didn’t require a fitting room (or even a human fitter)? Bella Trang, founder of Brarista, set out to solve one of fashion’s biggest pain points: bad bra fit. With a background in data and design, she created an AI-powered chatbot that acts as a virtual bra fitter, lingerie stylist, and care expert – tackling a global £10 billion returns problem.

Now partnered with LittleWomen.com, Brarista powers the world’s first AI bra fitting service for small busts, helping A, AA, and AAA cup customers find their best fit anytime, anywhere. In this interview, Bella shares how personal frustration sparked a tech solution, what it takes to humanise AI, and why the future of fit is finally catching up with women’s real needs.

The Founder Journey with Bella Trang:

Brarista was born…

From a very personal frustration. I discovered – accidentally – that I had been wearing the wrong bra size for most of my life. A chance encounter with a professional bra fitter completely transformed how I saw my body and comfort. It made me realise how widespread this issue is: 80% of women wear the wrong size, and retailers lose billions in returns because of it. The market need was clear, fit expertise was exclusive and inaccessible. I wanted to change that.

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The first step was…

Becoming a certified bra fitter and immersed myself in the technical, emotional, and commercial sides of lingerie. Then I partnered with top industry professionals and began collecting real-world fitting data, tens of thousands of datapoints. From there, I collaborated with engineers to build the first version of our AI Fit Chatbot. It wasn’t perfect, but it proved the concept could scale.

Some of the biggest challenges were…

Convincing people that AI could replicate something so personal and physical was a challenge. We also had to work hard to build trust with both retailers and consumers, especially in such an intimate category. Getting access to clean, relevant fit data took time. And of course, as a solo founder, juggling vision, product, operations, and fundraising in the early days was incredibly intense.

When it came to funding…

We were fortunate to receive an Innovate UK Inclusive Innovation Award, which helped validate our vision and provided early runway. We also secured backing from strategic fashion investors who saw the commercial potential. Beyond capital, I leaned on partnerships, collaborating with retailers, fit experts, and AI developers to stretch every resource while building credibility.

A pivotal moment…

Being selected by Etam’s WeDareLab as one of four breakthrough lingerie tech startups was a huge turning point. It gave us access to a global retailer, industry recognition, and invaluable feedback from a commercial perspective. It accelerated our product roadmap and helped us see Brarista as a scalable B2B solution, not just a consumer-facing tool.

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We approach building a team by…

I look for people who are mission-driven and multidisciplinary – those who can balance empathy with analytical thinking. At Brarista, we’re not just building tech; we’re challenging norms around body image and accessibility. So I make sure every team member, from data scientists to content writers, understands the “why” behind what we do. Transparency, shared learning, and a bias for action are key.

Some strategies which have brought scale to the business…

We focused on B2B integrations with retailers from the outset, offering a white-labeled, flexible solution that slots seamlessly into their e-commerce platforms. We also invested heavily in our data infrastructure to maintain accuracy at scale. Publicity from media features and awards helped boost credibility. Now we’re expanding into adjacent categories like swimwear and maternity, and exploring international partnerships.

A failure we made…

Early on, we overcomplicated the first version of our chatbot, trying to do too much too soon. It confused users and slowed down implementation. We learned quickly that simplicity and focus were key. That led us to break the product into modular AI components – Fit AI, Style AI, and Care AI – which not only improved UX but also made it easier to sell and integrate.

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We stay motivated by…

Whenever things get tough, I remind myself of how life-changing it was for me to finally wear something that truly fit. That emotional impact drives everything. I also stay close to our users, reading feedback, joining fitting forums, and listening to customer stories. And I’ve built a network of fellow female founders who remind me I’m not alone on this ride.

Some advice to aspiring entrepreneurs…

Start with something personal but build it with rigour.

Fall in love with the problem, not just your solution.

Be obsessed with understanding your user.

And don’t wait until it’s perfect – test, learn, iterate.

Most importantly: protect your energy.

This journey is a marathon, not a sprint, and you’ll need your passion, resilience, and a strong support system to sustain it.

The Modems’ Byte-Sized Questions: