A posture-enhancing T-shirt from Paris-based clothing start-up UpCouture has begun to make an impression internationally. The company formally launched its Up Shirt in the U.S. this month.
The shirt aids good posture, according to the company, because of a configuration of very thin elastic strips sewn and bonded into the garment in strategic places. This assures that the wearer will feel a difference if he or she is not using correct posture.
Founder Neda Naef said she was concerned that slouching over her computer for long periods of her working day might make her look unattractive. A self-described “fitness fanatic,” she realized that the problem of poor posture could affect unfit people even more severely, and she sought to find a solution.
After quite a long period of experimenting and testing, the company has settled on an extra-thin film, which is sown and bonded to the garment, and a film with perfect modulus and with a 100 percent recovery power—a more expensive option, but other materials did not perform adequately.