It’s jewelry for your bra. Ooh La Bra’s fashion accessory collection of more than 100 styles of embellished interchangeable bra straps is the realization of Lisa McKenzie, Founder and CEO of the Covington, LA-based brand. Inspired by watching Sex and the City’s Sarah Jessica Parker strut her straps on the popular TV series, McKenzie and her Chief Creative Officer Susan Bopp create and sell crystal, pearl, chain, fabric, leather and beaded designed bras straps to be worn with strapless, convertible, multi-way, halter, racerback and traditional style bras.
McKenzie said Ooh La Bra’s tagline “We Lift You Up” describes what her product does, but also what it means. It’s a powerful message Capital One Bank is pushing in its new brand-focused Facebook campaign #DefineYourDream featuring customers with empowering and, literally, uplifting stories.
“We wanted people to not only see the product as something that physically lifts women up but that emotionally does the same,” McKenzie said in a Capital One #DefineYourDream video.
While Ooh La Bra’s average customers get to wear shoulder baring outfits with confidence, and give their “girls” a little extra sparkle, the straps take on an deeper meaning for cancer survivors.
“Cancer sucks,” McKenzie said in the video, “especially for women who are so hard on themselves anyways. There’s ladies who come in, they’re so scarred and they just don’t feel pretty.”
McKenzie created “You Night Empowering Events,” to encourage these women to embrace life beyond cancer. It’s a six to eight week program geared to teach cancer survivors how to overcome the challenges of cancer treatment, both physically and psychologically. Local caregivers, hospitals, salons, boutiques, friends and families sponsor cancer survivors to get on stage and walk a fashion runway at the culmination of a transformative, self-esteem building journey filled with focused teamwork exercises, coaching, runway training, makeovers with professional stylists and strong interpersonal support from a network of other survivors. McKenzie said the goal is to restore women’s faith in their beauty.
“They’re going to enter nervous, and then they are going to walk on stage being completely superstars,” McKenzie said about her program in the video. “We’re going to train them to be professional runway models….They’ve been wounded, whether it be physically or emotionally. They just know that they want to do something better for themselves.”
Ooh La Bra also sells bras, camisoles, headbands, body shapers and chest wrinkle remover. Its bra straps can be found at specialty boutiques across the country, Canada and Australia, and can change the look of any outfit by attaching to any bra where the straps can be removed. There’s even “busty straps” available for the well-endowed.
With each set of straps, customers see the Ooh La Bra heart logo that McKenzie says represents how her team pours their hearts into everything they do.
“I feel like the luckiest person in the world to be able to do this,” McKenzie said. “My dream is to empower one and impact many.”
Capital One’s social-driven #DefineYourDream campaign is celebrating its customers who challenge everyone to dream big. By recognizing McKenzie’s Ooh La Bra and her pay-it-forward “You Night Empowering Events” Capital One is acknowledging small businesswomen can turn their dreams into reality.
Others are encouraged to join the conversation by sharing their stories on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter tagging @CapitalOne with #DefineYourDream from now until Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017.
Ooh La Bra
1-877-591-5936 x2
www.oohlabra.com
www.younightevents.com
Capital One Bank’s #DefineYourDream video featuring Lisa McKenzie, Founder and CEO of the Covington, LA-based Ooh La Bra.
