About Arkai
- Founders: Sabrina Mol en Laura Stefani
- Founded in: 2021
- Employees: 2
- Money raised: Own finances
- Ultimate goal: Helping young girls with their first bra
The start-up Arkai, founded by a few Commercial Science students from the University of Hasselt (UHasselt) in Belgium have developed a bra made of recycled materials that adjust to your body as you grow older. By doing this, the students want to offer an alternative to the fast fashion industry. The start-up won the award for best Small Business Project from the Vlaamse Jonge Ondernemingen (Flemish Young Entrepreneurs, VLAJO). Laura Stefani, CEO of Arkai and 3e year bachelor’s student in Commercial Sciences at UHasselt talks about it in this instalment of start-up of the day.
What kind of bra is it?
“We want to help young girls when they buy their first bra. We have designed a model that can be adjusted up to three cup sizes as you grow older. Then you don’t have to keep buying a new one because you’ve grown. Every part is fully adjustable and the fabric has give. So you can adapt the bra to your body and your body doesn’t need to adapt to a bra. Because of that ability to grow along with its wearer, our bra also lasts longer.”
It is also a sustainable bra. In what way exactly?
“We made the choice to make the bra out of recycled materials. The fabric is sturdy but it’s also stretchy. That cuts down on waste. We are thinking about the environment. So we reduce the mountain of clothing waste and therefore resolutely commit to being truly sustainable. We also want to counteract the fast fashion industry. Because existing bras produced in this industry aren’t springy enough or nor adjustable. Because you have to buy a new one each time and throw away the old one, that leads to needless waste of materials and even more environmental pollution.”
Where is the bra being produced?
“We are as a matter of fact still looking for a suitable supplier. We first worked with a supplier from Asia, but we noticed that the quality wasn’t that good. We are now looking around Europe and are in discussions with a fabric supplier in Portugal at the moment.”
How much does the bra cost?
“Arkai’s bras cost €49.99. At that price, young girls are still cheaper off. If they have to buy a new bra every time, then things will definitely work out more expensive.”
What kind of public are you targeting?
“We are primarily focusing on young girls. But we are also able to help women who suffer from fluctuations in their weight. In the future, we also want to design models for women who are pregnant or undergoing a mastectomy. Later in life, of course, this bra can also come in handy.”
Are you going to develop any other products?
“We are initially focusing on this bra for young girls, which we will adjust the design of over time. Then we will look at other target groups. We are not ruling out other products coming onto the market in the future, like underwear, for example.”
Do you also have any international plans?
“Yes, definitely. Our first focus is on the Dutch-speaking market in Flanders and the Netherlands. After that, we also want to profile ourselves in English and French, which will enable us to reach the rest of Europe.”
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