| The Womb Issue
Every morning, Emma Butler’s mother faced the same frustrating routine. Fastening a bra clasp, one hook at a time, should have been simple, but her chronic pain turned it into a real challenge.
She had to ask for her daughter’s help, like so many women around the world who rely on others to get dressed.
That frustration planted a seed in Butler’s mind, one that would eventually grow into Liberare, one of the leading producers of accessible bras. That journey was neither quick nor easy.
Butler was only eleven years old when she had to start helping her mother, an anthropologist who lived with limited hand dexterity and restricted shoulder mobility. These conditions made simple gestures like reaching up, brushing her hair, or getting dressed immeasurably difficult. Among all the small struggles, bras were the one that stuck in Butler’s mind.
Growing up, she began searching for solutions for her mother, only to find medical-looking, unflattering, and uncomfortable options that not only failed to solve the problem but also sent the message that people with disabilities weren’t deserving of beauty or sensuality.
At twenty-one, while pursuing a degree combining Visual Arts and French studies at Brown University, she met other women with disabilities who shared the same problem as her mother. It was then, ten years after her mother’s chronic pain diagnosis, that she began developing her first adaptive lingerie concept in her dorm room.
Emma Butler and her friend Christina Battista embrace in the announcement of Liberare’s name change in June 2022.
Image credit: Emma Butler via Instagram.
Originally launched as Intimately in February 2022, Liberare is centered around the idea of creating adaptive clothing that amplifies the voices of people with disabilities, while also making wearers feel beautiful in their own skin. As a result, customers can access trendy-looking bras with necessary features such as a magnetic front-closure system designed to fasten with minimal effort.
The name change to Liberare—which means “to set free” in Latin—was meant to reinforce that idea, as disabled people are often surrounded by stigmas that prevent them from feeling beautiful or from having clothes that allow them to feel that way.
“We believe that feeling beautiful is a human right, and feeling beautiful in your own skin is incredibly freeing,” the brand states on its website.
That central concept has been overlooked by much of the fashion industry, revealing that women’s fashion, even in its so-called inclusive spaces, continues to replicate exclusion.
In recent years, inclusivity in women’s fashion has become one of the industry’s most discussed topics. Yet, disabled bodies—who, according to the World Health Organization, represent 16 percent of the global population—are rarely the center of design.
As reported by Zebedee, an inclusive modeling agency with a presence in the United Kingdom and the United States, only around 0.02 percent of beauty campaigns feature people with disabilities. This shows that inclusivity, which aims to ensure everyone feels represented and can dress independently, is often limited to showcasing body diversity or size in brand campaigns—or worse, failing to incorporate diverse voices into decision-making at all.
That’s where Liberare comes in.
Three models wearing Liberare’s Comfort Sculpt Seamless and Everyday Easy-On Bras, highlighting how the design supports and flatters a range of bust sizes.
Image credit: Liberare via Facebook.
Although the bras can be worn by anyone, Butler emphasizes that the core mission of the brand is to restore confidence and provide an option specifically focused on disabled bodies. As she mentioned in an interview with IZ Adaptive, the brand includes designers who have disabilities themselves, enabling the team to develop products that are more thoughtfully adapted to the needs of the community it serves.
A model testing Liberare’s Comfort Sculpt Seamless bra.
Image credit: Liberare via Facebook.
One example of this is the best-selling Everyday Easy-On Bra. It is made of soft fabric that feels gentle on the skin, and is wireless, so it provides support that stays comfortable all day. Instead of fighting with back clips, you close it with a magnetic front-closure system, patented by Liberare. Super easy to clip on and off, but strong enough to never unclip when you don’t want it to. It’s a beautifully designed piece of teamwork, reflecting the living experience of disability of Liberare’s designers.
Butler insists that the most important part of the business is building “a really incredible team,” acknowledging what is missing, confronting weaknesses, and hiring accordingly. That mindset has led to recognition from Forbes, including a mention in their 30 Under 30, and to coverage in Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and People.
But what stays with Butler most are the moments that affirm why she started. As a guest on the Invisible Youth Charity YouTube channel, she remembers a wife who, for twenty years, couldn’t dress herself, but, thanks to Liberare, she can feel sexy again.
All this traces back to where it began—with her own mother, who now, like thousands of other women, can put on a bra without pain.
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©2018 -2025 – TrooRa is a registered trademark of Rare Luxury Living LLC TrooRa Magazine, A Fortunest Group and is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
By clicking “submit,” you agree to receive emails from TrooRa and accept our web terms of use and privacy and cookie policy. *Terms apply.
©2018 -2025 – TrooRa is a registered trademark of Rare Luxury Living LLC TrooRa Magazine, A Fortunest Group and is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
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