With the full implementation of tariffs on imports from every country in the world, price increases were inevitable. I’ve written previously about the nonexistence of American bra manufacturing. However, I want to give a huge shout-out to our brands, who have done their absolute best to absorb costs and keep their wholesale and retail price increases as small as possible. The situation with each brand is different: where their manufacturing facilities are located, whether they distribute orders from within or outside of the U.S., and a hundred other factors. Across the board, though, we’ve seen these businesses attempting to keep trade flowing without pricing out their (and our) customers. Many brands held off on raising prices entirely until the de minimis exemption was eliminated on August 29th. Suddenly, the price increase announcements hit like a tidal wave. I started to dread checking my email. Here’s the good news: to our relief, most of those increases were modest. For example, here are some of the recent increases from Eveden, the parent company of the Elomi, Fantasie, Freya, and Goddess brands. Most products went up by $1 – $3. Some items didn’t change at all.

Other brands like Natori have pushed their increases out even further. The changes below don’t go into effect until February 2026. Again, most of the increases are between $0 and $4, with a few outliers.

Sadly, not every brand’s circumstances allowed them to shield us from tariff impacts to this extent. Both Curvy Kate and Anita had to impose price increases of up to 15%. This was an especially tough blow to Anita, whose prices are already relatively high because of their vigorous commitment to using quality materials and ethical in-house labor.

Additionally, we’ve had some struggles with products that Grail imports directly from international companies. In a few cases, we’ve had to pause those imports entirely… More details on that in the next section. In other cases, like with the Ewa Michalak brand out of Poland, these styles are simply irreplaceable, and we’ve had to crunch numbers to figure out a viable price to make sure Grail customers can still have access to these bra options. We’ve actually been hit with a double-whammy on import product pricing this year. There’s the tariffs for bras made in the European Union, along with “broker fees” charged by the shipping company:

But, just as bad, the U.S. dollar has taken a nosedive since the start of 2025. We pay for our imports in either Euros or Polish złoty, depending on the brand. The currency conversion rate has shifted almost 12% to favor international currencies, so we’re paying more (in U.S. dollars) with each order, even if the product’s price in Euros or złoty doesn’t change.

I’m happy to say that, despite the increases, we still have the lowest prices for Ewa Michalak bras you’ll find anywhere. E-commerce stores consistently list them for $20 – $30 more.

We’re still trying to find a way forward with some of the other brands we import directly, especially UNTAG in the Netherlands who makes our chest binders, Cake Maternity, and Luxe Noir (previously Bunny Corset). Royce is trying to set up a system for shipping Delivered Duty Paid, so I’m crossing my fingers for that one. Blush Lingerie has sadly decided to pull out of the U.S. market entirely. We are likely also parting ways with Polish brands Nessa and Gorteks, because the extra fees would push product pricing to a level we can’t really justify to ourselves or to you.

While the overwhelming majority of our inventory was spared from major price increases, a handful of styles took a pretty tough hit. In many cases, our team made the reluctant decision to let these bras go and look for a more accessibly-priced alternative. If you visit Grail, you may see some bras labeled with a “Closeout” discount. In effect, we’re honoring the old pre-increase price on these items, but we don’t plan to restock them once they’re gone. If one of these Closeout bras happens to be your all-time favorite, the good news is that they’re still available for us to special order from the brand, (although sadly at the higher price.) Our Clearance rack is also still jam-packed with bras, panties, sleepwear, and more for at least 30% to 50% off. Whenever we manage to clear a bit of space, we immediately add something else to clearance because there’s just never enough space in the shop. If you’re on a budget, please don’t hesitate to let us know. We absolutely understand, we feel you, and we’re happy to try to find you great options that won’t squeeze your wallet.

Our team member Mataia had to step back a couple of months ago due to life events. You may still catch her around the shop on a social visit. Also, former Grail fitter Terin Ratajczak has started pitching in to help us with social media content. It will be nice to have some variety to break up my boring walls of text. 😆

This is kind of a big one. The Grail team has decided to pursue the one bra-related specialization that we’ve never offered: post-mastectomy fittings. Unlike the world of “everyday” bra fitters, which mostly lacks official training and certifications, the requirements for mastectomy fitters are rigorous. We’re currently at the pre-certification stage and working to accrue 120 hours working with patients. If you know of someone who needs help with bras or prostheses after breast surgery, we would love to connect.

After certification, we hope to receive facility accreditation, which will eventually allow us to accommodate Medicare and private insurance billing. The entire process could take a while, but we’ll keep providing updates as we go through each step.

In addition to post-mastectomy products, we have a few other things up our sleeves, including an amazing-looking collection of adaptive bras for wearers with limited mobility. This has been on our style wish list forever, so I can’t wait to tell you more!

Last but not least, October marks the noticeable start of our slow season, which usually stretches into December. Fewer clients and low-volume sales weeks are stressful, but it’s also an opportunity to catch up on shop projects, reflect on where things stand in the present, and start cooking up ideas for the new year, which is somehow almost at our doorstep once again. If there’s anything at all that we can do for you, please let us know. Things might not be easy right now, but I remain ever grateful to be part of this team, serving this amazing community.