University of Antwerp students present sports bra prototype
In October 2025, an ambitious research project was launched: a collaboration between four master’s students in product development at the University of Antwerp and the West Flemish volleyball team Vlamvo. The aim? To develop the ideal sports bra for jumping sports. To round off their research project, the students were given the opportunity to test their prototype on athletes from the top volleyball team VC Oudegem, on the eve of the Belgian Cup final.
Janne Huys, Marte Cornelis, Feiye Berckmans and Merel Gielis, product developers (Faculty of Design Sciences), had a clear goal in mind from the outset. For a practical module within their master’s programme at the University of Antwerp, they spent the past six months working on a new sports bra, specifically designed for jumping sports such as volleyball and basketball. To this end, they joined forces with the volleyball players of Vlamvo, an enthusiastic team from West Flanders.
‘Within the team, the sports bra can be quite an issue,’ the Vlamvo players noted. ‘For volleyball players, it’s often a nuisance. There are sports bras on the market, but there’s little variety in what’s available.’
The students noticed this too. ‘Very little research has actually been done on this subject. Most sports bras are still designed by fashion designers, not necessarily with optimal support in mind.’
Sports research for women: a blind spot
The students spoke to various experts about the lack of scientific research into sports bras, as well as sportswear for women in general.
Research
The four students took a thorough approach. To design a new sports bra model, they listened to the needs of volleyball players, took body measurements, analysed diving, rolling and jumping movements, and spoke with various scientists and companies.
Among other things, they were invited to visit Van de Velde, the company behind major bra brands such as Marie Jo and Primadonna. Van de Velde also produces sports bras, but not specifically for jumping sports. ‘We had a productive workshop with the students from the University of Antwerp,’ says Lien Van de Velde, Innovation Manager at Van de Velde. ‘We look forward to continuing to brainstorm together in the future about the comfort and support of the ideal sports bra.’ At Van de Velde, the students were also given the necessary materials to get started on their own prototype.
That prototype was presented in April. ‘Our sports bra has no fastening or hard parts at the back, as these are often a nuisance for female volleyball players or can cause injuries,’ the students explain. ‘The straps can be adjusted at the front rather than at the back, and it fastens with sturdy Velcro.’
Testing with top athletes
To round off the research project, the students were given the opportunity to test their design on top-level athletes. On the eve of the Belgian Volleyball Cup final at the AFAS Dome, the players from VC Oudegem were training at the Antwerp event hall. It was the perfect opportunity to test the students’ latest sports bra.
‘It was great fun to test a prototype like this,’ says an enthusiastic Justine Delanote, libero at VC Oudegem. ‘Research into sports bras for jumping sports still receives too little attention.’ The player is already very pleased with the students’ design.
The Velcro fastening closed well, the straps were comfortable and the bra itself is sturdy. I’m impressed by the students’ work.
Room for innovation
Is the sports bra ready for the market yet? ‘More research is needed for that,’ the students admit. ‘This prototype is a good starting point and already includes a number of improvements in terms of user-friendliness for volleyball players, but there is certainly still room for further development. We are currently looking into whether we can continue working on this project for our Master’s thesis next year. One thing is certain: there are still plenty of opportunities for innovation.’