Announcing Levana Bratique

Welcome to Levana Bratique, where we've got something to support every woman. This shop has been brewing for nearly 10 years, and we're so glad you've found us.

Our founder, Judy Masucci, became a mother in 2005. After a 4-month maternity leave, she returned to the long hours and work travel of corporate America for nearly a year before leaving to be with her son. In 2007, she created A Mother's Boutique to help other mothers succeed breastfeeding their babies. At this time, there weren't many places to get quality nursing clothing or products to enable Judy to succeed at breastfeeding. A Mother's Boutique filled this unmet need and Judy's business background allowed her to translate her passion for helping mothers into a blossoming one-stop shop for all the tools a pregnant or nursing mother might need.

Most often, those nursing mothers needed a bra that fit them properly. Since many women have never worn a properly fitting bra, it can be a life-changing experience to find a great one. Judy says, "Since I have large breasts myself, I know how hard it can be to get a bra that lifts, supports, and fits correctly." Her own size has fluctuated between a 34DD, 36I and 40G, and once she experienced the best of the best bras, she knew she wanted to bring these to other women.

Judy says, "Let's face it: we live in our bras--day in and day out. There isn't any other garment that we wear as long or as often. So having one that fits well and feels great makes a huge difference in every aspect of our lives."

Women flocked to A Mother's Boutique both in person and via Judy's trademarked Virtual Bra Fitting for help finding comfortable bras. Along the way, these mothers weaned their babies and begged Judy to stock regular bras, especially bras in hard to find sizes.

When Pittsburgh's only specialty lingerie boutique closed its doors a few years ago, Judy knew the time was right to birth a new business. Through A Mother's Boutique, women have options for finding quality nursing bras. But what about everyone else? Women wearing non-standard bra sizes have very few options to try bras on in person or even get a proper fitting. And so, Levana Bratique was born.

Our new bratique honors Levana, the Roman goddess of childbirth ritual. Her name comes from the Latin word meaning "to lift," and her role was helping new mothers to bring their children into their families. Levana honors our roots as A Mother's Boutique and our passion for helping new mothers throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding. And, of course, Levana symbolizes the very sort of lift we specialize in--bras to elevate and support every woman from A to S (cup size, that is).

As we searched for a name for our new shop, we looked for something elegant but slightly edgy, to represent the women we serve. Judy began to look at goddess names because her son is fascinated by mythology right now. It felt right to include him in the new business since he has inspired Judy's entire journey.

She began researching the Roman goddesses because her son especially loves ancient Roman battles. She landed on Levana because she liked the sound of it. When she saw the meaning, she knew this match was meant to be.

Just as Levana supported the women she served, Levana Bratique will create a personalized experience for women to find high quality bras that will change their lives. The expert fittings you've come to love at A Mother's Boutique are now available at Levana Bratique, which is the only independent, women-owned business of its kind in our area. 

Judy searches the globe for great bras. Our bras come from as far away as Poland, the Netherlands, and Australia. Levana Bratique will carry the same great offering as her predecesor, A Mother's Boutique - 50 different styles of nursing bras, tanks, and shapewear, and also include 14 different styles of regular bras (to start). Levana Bratique focuses on hard to find sizes, but also has an offering for women of every size from a 28 band up to a 46 (with plans to expand to a 52) and cups A through S. 

"I carefully select bras that do what they are supposed to do, and I do this by ordering samples in my size or my employees' size. We test wear each bra to make sure it's something to put our name behind," Judy says. Bras at Levana Bratique offer value for the cost. There are no "cheap" bras here--even our inexpensive styles offer high quality, comfort, and durability.

As the business grows, Judy plans to slowly add additional colors and styles. She says, "When I can make a difference in someone's life by giving them great undergarments, that drives me to find better items and keep doing what I'm doing." 

We hope you'll join us on the journey.