Some garments are universal. Socks for instance, look and feel similar irrespective of where they are manufactured and worn. Be it India or Indonesia, Uganda, US or the UK, when you think of socks the picture that arises in your mind is pretty much the same.

Not so for bras. They look and feel vastly different from country to country. A bra worn in the Western world is so different in looks from that in the East that it’s surprising both garments are bras. Apart from the two cups and the straps very little is common to both. And not surprisingly, both the cups and the straps, too, vary immensely between the East and the West.

For starters it is the basic composition of the two types of bras that is fundamentally contrasting. Bras worn in the West are made of knitted fabric, which is basically tee shirt material. It stretches when used, providing a sense of comfort even if it’s seemingly fitted on the body; the stretching adds a laid back feel to it. Because of the stretch ability of knitted fabrics they aren’t ideal in providing support to heavier busts. Thus there arose the need to line the cups with an extra layer of non-stretch fabric, or use under wires to provide support to the cups. Cotton knits being not just highly stretchy but also rather expensive were passed over in favour of synthetic knitted material. A cold weather climate ensured easy acceptability of the synthetic knit which was sometimes lined with padding to create cleavage.

Not so in India. Since they started being manufactured, bras in India were made of woven fabric which is what saris, shirts or trousers are made of. India has a very rich tradition of weaving looms and naturally, woven fabric was available aplenty. Thus was formed the Indian habit of wearing bras that were more fitted and supportive than knit material bras.

With the passage of time knitted fabric, too, became available but habits die hard and are more often than not propagated through generations. Woven fabric bras that started out by being made in plain poplins graduated to being made in embroidered fabric, called chikan. Other cotton varieties contributed to the aesthetic. An overwhelming majority of bras made in India are of this type: single layer cotton fabric on the cups and the back and

the absence of an underwire gives breathability and comfort in the heat. Till recently, even the straps were made of cotton, though elastic is more prevalent now. Foam and padding were hardly used till Gen Z started insisting on seamless bras that are padded on the inside with a knit fabric cup; these bras are negligible in quantity as compared to the basic woven fabric ones.

For all that stands in contrast between the East and the West nothing exemplifies it better than a bra that, like a friend, is supportive and stays close to the heart.

The columnist is the founder-CEO of Necessity-SwatiGautam, a customised brand of brassieres. Contact: necessityswatigautam@gmail.com