Lingerie and swimwear cut for the fuller bust — D to K, and proud of it.
Based in Uxbridge, London, the label built its name on fit for the fuller bust — bras and swimwear sized D through K, drawn from the women who actually wear them. Its long-running 'Star in a Bra' competition scouted real customers to front campaigns, crowning faces from Emma Tabor to Sophia Adams across the years.
Same quiet-luxury, craft-first sensibility — follow any to widen your alerts.
Curvy Kate specialises in D to K cup bras and swimwear for the fuller bust, so it is worth it if that is the range you struggle to find elsewhere. Shoppers tend to like the support and value, though some feel the quality sits a notch below premium fuller-bust names. As a brand built entirely around larger cup sizes, it is a sensible first stop for hard-to-fit busts.
Reviewers find the two fit quite differently even though both use UK sizing. Curvy Kate bands are often described as running small, so many wearers go up a band size, and the wires can be tall and wide with a broad gore. Panache tends to run smaller overall. The practical takeaway: expect to test your size in each rather than assume your usual fit carries across.
Curvy Kate is designed for fuller-bust customers, with products offered in D to K cups and back sizes ranging from 28 to 44. That breadth across both cup and band is the whole point of the brand. If standard high-street ranges stop before your size, this is where to look.
Curvy Kate officially launched in July 2009 at the Harrogate Lingerie Show and is based in Uxbridge, London. By 2010 it had expanded internationally and was stocked in more than 100 retail stores worldwide, with the United States becoming one of its largest export markets. It is, at heart, a British fuller-bust specialist.
Scantilly is Curvy Kate's lingerie sub-brand, launched in November 2015 and aimed at fuller-bust customers who want a more overtly sexy aesthetic. If the main line covers everyday support and swimwear, Scantilly is the side of the house to explore for statement, fashion-forward fuller-bust lingerie.
Yes. Curvy Kate launched its first bra-sized swimwear collection in 2012, extending its range up to K-cup, and it has also designed a sports bra focused on the fuller-bust customer that drew praise from Women's Running. So beyond everyday bras, it covers swim and active support in the same fuller-bust spirit. That makes it a fairly complete fuller-bust wardrobe.
Star in a Bra was the campaign that made Curvy Kate's name, selecting members of the public to model for the brand rather than professional models. It later expanded internationally with editions in Australia and the United States, and in 2014 the company replaced it with a campaign called Model Mates. It signalled the brand's real-women, representation-led identity from early on.
Yes, repeatedly. It won Fuller Bust Brand of the Year at the UK Lingerie Awards in 2011, took both Fuller Bust Brand of the Year and Best Marketing Campaign in 2012, and in 2014 became the first lingerie brand to win Drapers Womenswear Brand of the Year. It later added Drapers Lingerie Brand of the Year in 2019. For a fuller-bust specialist, that is a strong track record.
Yes. In 2015 its Scantilly sub-brand ran the #TheNewSexy campaign featuring models from a variety of backgrounds, including a transgender woman, an amputee and a woman with alopecia, which drew media coverage for its emphasis on representation. The campaign gained further attention after several related ads were removed by Facebook and then reinstated when the platform said they had been taken down in error. Representation has been a consistent thread for the brand.
Because Curvy Kate bands are widely reported to run small, many wearers size up a band, and fit can vary by style, so it is worth checking reviews for the specific bra you want. Its plunge styles in particular get praise for wide-root wearers. Trying a style before committing to several is the smart move with any fuller-bust brand.