Earlier this year Potrero Hill resident Heidi Zak moved her company’s headquarters from a South-of-Market location closer to home. Zak, along with her husband, Dave Spector, has lived on De Haro Street for almost three years. They have a 21-month-old daughter, Sloane. ThirdLove, which sells lingerie, is now located in the America Industrial Center (AIC) in Dogpatch. It’s “…so nice to be living in a neighborhood,” Zak said. “We love it!”</span></p> <p class=”p1″><span class=”s1″>ThirdLove uses carefully measured data collected from women’s bodies to create bras that are engineered to be comfortable and designed to be beautiful. Features include one-half cup sizes and removable pads. The company offers an expansive array of sizes, ranging from AAA to G.</span></p> <p class=”p1″><span class=”s1″>Before founding ThirdLove, Zak worked at Google. She previously served as a director at Aeropostale in New York City, where she launched and ran the company’s international division. She has an undergraduate degree in economics from Duke University and a master of business administration from the MIT Sloan School of Management. </span></p> <p class=”p1″><span class=”s1″>“I founded ThirdLove because I knew there had to be a better way to shop for bras. Our number one mission is to help women find their best fit. That’s why we use real women’s measurements to perfect our designs…every woman’s body is unique, and old-school sizes just weren’t enough.” The company has 15 employees. Its products are manufactured in Asia.</span></p> <p class=”p1″><span class=”s1″><em>The View</em> asked four women who work in a busy philanthropic office in Downtown San Francisco to “test drive” ThirdLove’s bras. “There was much discussion with my colleagues, Nancy, Pam, and Brenna, about whether we’re wearing the right size bras,” said Mission District resident, Debbie, who’s a 34C. “Pam says she’s a 34A, but we all think she’s a 34B or a 34A½, Nancy claims she’s a solid 32A, and Brenna thinks she is a 32AA or a 32AA½, but she is totally confused.” </span></p> <p class=”p1″><span class=”s1″>Each of the women had a phone consultation with Zak about their body type and bra size. Zak then sent them bras to wear and review. “It comes in a pretty satin bag,” said Debbie, of ThirdLove’s 24/7 Memory Foam T-Shirt Bra. “But it’s what inside that’s really attractive. The straps are supportive, but not tight; very comfortable. I’m short, so bra straps always fall off my shoulders…but not this one. And it comes with simple, witty, instructions about how to wear it, conveying information that I never knew about. Seriously, how’d I get to age 51 and not know how to put a bra on correctly?”</span></p> <p class=”p1″><span class=”s1″> “I hate bras,” Brenna added. “They have never fit right and the materials are just not comfortable. Because of this, I mostly wear bralettes and sports bras, even bikinis are more preferable. But after trying on a few of ThirdLove’s underwire bras, I honestly feel that they have totally revolutionized the concept of the bra. Every part of its construction is well thought-out and designed for comfort and functionality. Their half sizes are genius. I love their range of styles and am a total underwire convert now. I don’t want to rip it off as soon as I get home anymore.”</span></p> <p class=”p1″><span class=”s1″>“I was extremely skeptical when Debbie raved about her ThirdLove bra because I have a love-hate, well, mostly hate, relationship with bras,” said Pam. “I’ve tried so many brands and been fitted a half-dozen times. They just never fit right. I’m constantly tugging at the straps and the cups ride up. Through the personal consultation they suggested I go down a band size and up a cup size. The ThirdLove T-Shirt Bra is the most comfortable bra I’ve ever worn. The first day I tried it, I realized at about noon that I hadn’t thought about my bra at all. It was a revelation. I can’t wait to try their other styles.”</span></p> <p class=”p1″><span class=”s1″> “Bra shopping has never been a fun activity for me,” Nancy offered. “It was such a luxury to have a personal consultation and get my bra without stepping into a store. It’s the best fitting and most comfortable bra I own; plus it’s pretty! The removable pads are a great option. They’re not bulky and look natural. The foam-lined bra hooks are ingenious!” </span></p> <p class=”p1″><span class=”s1″>Not everything about the bras is perfect, according to Debbie. “The strap buckle goes backwards, rather than forward. You have to do an acrobatic act to adjust it. Unlike other aspects of the bra, which are a step forward, this is a step backward,” she said.</span></p> <p class=”p1″><span class=”s1″>At ThirdLove’s AIC showroom customers can try on bras, with one-on-one fittings with a specialist offered to determine the perfect size. “It’s a great space, and we have a retail showroom where women can get fit and try on all our styles, and bring their new favorite home with them,” said Zak. “My personal fave is the 24/7…I call this my “Monday through Friday” bra, because it’s the perfect foundation for every great outfit. It’s rated our most-loved bra by our customers, and it was even featured by <em>InStyle!</em> </span></p>
Potrero Hill Resident Interested in Sounds
Andrew Roth fell in love with sound more than four decades ago,