“Not even grannies want to wear granny panties,” laughed Shauna Allan, owner of
When Allan’s mom passed away suddenly from heart disease in 2015, Allan knew she needed to reevaluate her career path that had been deeply entrenched in sales and finance.
Allan decided to throw herself into giving back to the community by choosing to serve in the not-for-profit sector of her hometown of
After two years at the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation, Allan decided 2019 was a good time to find a way to extend her service to the global community, specifically to empower women. That’s when Allan started Modern Match Lingerie offering uniquely-designed bras and panties for the real woman.
“Every size has been fit to a real woman’s body,” Allan said.
Sizes range from XS to XXXL, which makes the company’s approach of inclusivity part of its ethical fashion philosophy. They will soon be expanding their underwire bra collection that currently goes from 32B to 38DD.
“We are a completely self-funded brand, which is very unique to the fashion industry,” Allan said. “So we grow with the community.”
Allan starting by finding a female pattern designer to collaborate with and the
“For me lingerie has always been something that evokes emotion,” Allan said. “It’s something that belongs underneath my clothing that nobody needs to know about but me and it empowers me. It’s about how we feel as women.”
Through expansion of her online business, a smart move during the pandemic, Modern Match Lingerie, already launching its second line, caught the eye of Canadian Living Magazine as a Canadian company making a difference. Suddenly Modern Match is getting a lot of attention.
“We’ve got people reaching out from
To bring women even closer together, Allan has also started the Bra Bra Sisterhood where online meetings are about connecting like-minded women across the globe.
Recently Modern Match Lingerie has had the opportunity to reach out in person in
“I am a big believer in community and how important it is to serve others,” Allan said.
To that end, another empowerment-of-women component comes in the form of donations of products to the Phoenix Transition House, whose purpose is to support women escaping abusive relationships.
“We really take pride in that - lingerie is our vehicle to empowerment,” Allan said.
Late last year, Allan had grown the business so much, she invited Veronica Beltran to join her at the ever-expanding Modern Match Lingerie.
“I outgrew myself, is what happened,” Allan said. “I started out in the comfort of my home and I outgrew that space and moved into this one to expand the brand.”
Modern Match Lingerie is located at
“I was looking for someone to work beside whose mission was to empower women and so now there’s two minds at the table with different perspectives of life,” Allan said.
People may recognize Beltran as a familiar face on CKPG TV.
Beltran was looking for a big career change, she explained.
“One of the questions Shauna asked during my interview was what I wanted to feel after a typical work day,” Beltran said. “I wanted to feel fulfilled and I do and it’s beautiful.”
For more information visit https://modernmatchlingerie.com.
