Emily Yu, a longtime Beijing-based lingerie designer, has devoted some five years to developing bras and prostheses for women who have had a mastectomy – hoping her products will help them regain confidence.

The founder of Ginger Ah, China’s first lingerie brand to develop both bras and the artificial breasts, says they struggle to fit comfortably into clothing post-surgery.

A typical prosthesis shifts around in a bra and sometimes comes out, Yu said, adding that artificial breasts made from silicone are also heavy and can irritate the skin.

Yu has patented a foam prosthesis which comes in three sizes and two colours and fit into pockets in the company’s bras.

Other design considerations include bra straps that can be adjusted from the front as post-mastectomy women can experience restrictions in arm movement.

Making the designs attractive was also paramount.

“Another thing breast cancer survivors want is beautiful underwear, they don’t want the ugly ones on the market… which are plain with just a hole for a prosthesis,” Yu said. “So they don’t want that, because they are originally a very beautiful person.”

More than 350,000 women in China are diagnosed with breast cancer annually.

Approached by a surgeon in 2019 who was seeking comfortable options for breast cancer patients, Yu was struck by the gap in the market. The issue became personal when Yu’s best friend was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after.

The friend became Ginger Ah’s first product tester and the company’s first products hit the market in 2021.

Since launching, Ginger Ah has sold over 12,500 bras.

Global lingerie giants including Cosabella and Victoria’s Secret have also begun offering post-mastectomy bras in recent years.

Yu recalls the first time she did a fitting at her home in Beijing, one woman hugged her and then burst into tears.

“I only learned later, for breast cancer patients, hugging from the front is difficult because they feel insecure,” Yu said.

“I hope one day each of them will have the courage and comfort to do a head-on hug. At that point, I think we’ll have really succeeded.”