UK start-up Halto goes global with halter neck discomfort solution

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jan 19, 2017

A UK start-up is aiming to shake up the swimwear sector for fuller-busted women with a small device designed to make halter neck swimwear more comfortable. Halto's European agent Tutti Rouge will show it at the Salon International de la Lingerie in Paris this weekend following a soft launch in the UK last summer.

The device is claimed to stop neck pain caused by the weight of fuller bust sizes. It uses injection-moulded TPE to “provide a soft cushion against the skin” with a firm core comprised of a thin layer of injection-moulded PPE that spreads the weight over a larger area to stop straps digging in. The parts are chemically bonded, making a secure, waterproof product.

It was created by sisters Lucy Cox and Lerryn Ryall, both of whom had suffered from neck pain due to halter necklines in the past. They crowd funded the business last year prior to launch.

Already stocked at omnichannel intimates retailer Bravissimo, the sales operation as it tolls out internationally is being handled by fuller-bust bra specialist Tutti Rouge.

“It’s almost the only product that’s out there,” co-founder Lerryn Ryall told Fashion Network. “Over 60% of women find halter necks really uncomfortable and choose not to wear them but up to 80% of swimwear on the high street is halter neck in design. There’s a huge percentage of people who just can’t wear swimwear comfortably.”

Lucy Cox added: “A 34DD [gives] a total ‘boob’ weight of approximately 7lbs. With a halter neck style, the wearer is bearing around 85% of that eight around their necks. Consider that most bikini straps are very thin and have a knot-tie resting on the sensitive part of the neck, and you can start to see the problem. Symptoms range from redness and bruising where the garment ‘digs in’ to much more serious complaints of blistering, headaches and musculoskeletal damage.”

Ryall told us the device, which requires no adjustments to the wearer’s bikini as its tie straps simply thread through the holes, has been sold in several independents, as well as Bravissimo (“who snapped up most of the stock we had almost straight away”). The company has also been selling online with around 25% of current turnover coming via e-commerce. However, this is likely to change as it targets stores in earnest this season.

“We have more stores showing an interest now, Ryall said with agent Jessica Prebble of Tutti Rouge saying she has been getting enquiries from the Polish, UK, Portuguese, Australian and US markets, especially department stores.