Our story
How it started
The inspiration for this business was the result of an agonizing experience I had when attempting to take my 13 year-old daughter, Lola, shopping for her first proper bra.
Up until then, she had only been wearing sports bras, and didn’t really understand that now she needed a “real” bra for when she wasn’t playing soccer or in dance class; and that the fit would be different; better.
Now that she was entering womanhood, it was time for her to have a proper undergarment. I told her we would make a day of it: city shopping; a fabulous lunch, the two of us; love it!
My Lola was into it - and off we went!
The mother-daughter bonding experience I had been so hoping for plummeted, and became anything but.
Lola didn’t resonate with any of the sexualized and inappropriate selection of bras that we saw; and her frustration escalated as we hunted through the crammed racks for her petite size, and could not find it.
The stores were awful; sexualized images of girls in mesh and push ups and showing so much skin. Lola was mortified; I was disgusted.
We felt lost; and what was most disheartening was watching my daughter sink, feeling annoyed and embarrassed about going through puberty, becoming a woman, and how she did not connect with any aspect of what society was throwing in her face.
This realization was both heartbreaking and incredibly eye-opening for me.
These are our kids. We want them to go into life feeling amazing about themselves! And the products I so desperately hunted for did not exist.
I started to think about other parents and their experiences with their daughters as they entered the chaotic world of puberty. Where did they shop?
I thought about trans and non-binary tweens and teens, and how every day more and more amazing young adults are finding themselves and embracing their true gender identity.
Where was that company, where TGNB youths had safe options for undergarments to wear as they navigated through puberty in a body they didn't identify with?
Where was that company where young women like my Lola could shop comfortably and feel strength in her journey towards womanhood?
And where was a place for parents and allies to gain information and support through all of this?!
I could not find it; so I decided to make one.
When our youth doesn’t have a positive, tangible resource to support them, the result can be damaging and even traumatic to their growth and mental well-being.
Body shaming and bullying starts young, and escalates during puberty into depression, anxiety, and suicide.
Young adults need us now more than ever! It’s tough out there!
And social media is a fickle beast.
So, my loves, Lola Olivia was created!
Named after my most favorite person ever.❤️
Welcome to Lola Olivia
At Lola Olivia, our goal is to uplift, empower, and support our youth!!
We need to modernize how we shop for undergarments, and provide transparency for our young clientele.
And this is just the beginning! We have so much more to offer!
Thank you for being a part of this journey!