Unique FlatWear Designs for Aesthetic Flat Closure

Becky Johnson and Tracy Friden are excited to open FlatWear Clothing this Spring, 2025. Their online shop will sell clothes designed to fit the growing community of breast cancer survivors who choose aesthetic flat closure after a mastectomy.

FlatWear Clothing was founded after the two discovered that despite the fact aesthetic flat closure was a growing movement among women undergoing a mastectomy, their fashion choices were limited.

Clothing Designed for Women Who Choose Aesthetic Flat Closure After Mastectomy

Diagnosed in 2019 and choosing to stay flat after her mastectomy, Becky was surprised to find her clothing didn’t fit.

Says Becky, “Most women’s clothes are designed for curves––they didn’t work on my post-mastectomy body. Resigned to buying new tops and dresses, I started searching for clothing designed for women with an aesthetic flat closure. I was stunned to find that there was nothing! When a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, she might be hearing about flat closure for the first time. If she does her homework and finds NOT ONE company designing for flat women, it sends a message that her choice to go flat may not be supported. That’s a big part of it for us. Making great clothes for flat women is important, but the message it sends is just as significant, “Going flat is a valid choice and we want to design for you.”

Readers: See Ellyn’s blog on other Flat Fashion icons she admires.

After sharing her story with Tracy, the two realized this was an opportunity to help women.

“Before meeting Becky, I had never heard of flat closure. I just assumed that every woman who underwent a mastectomy also had breast reconstruction,” says Tracy. “After hearing Becky’s story, I spent some time learning about breast cancer, reconstruction, and flat closure. I learned about the side effects of implants, about flat denial, and how no one is tracking the growing number of women choosing to go flat. When Becky asked me to create a flat clothing company with her, I couldn’t wait to start.”

Designs to Meet the Needs of Flat Women

To begin their venture, Becky and Tracy spent a lot of time asking questions. Says Tracy, “We engaged with the flat community and asked what they felt comfortable or uncomfortable wearing. We asked them to share about their bodies and to tell us about the clothes they found that do work for them. We went online and watched bloggers share tips about getting dressed when you’re flat, and Becky tried on just about everything in both our closets. In design speak––we learned about our target persona.”

“As we should have expected, the answers we got varied wildly, notes Becky. “How women feel about their flat closure varies as much as the women do. Some women don’t mind showing their flat shape, but they do mind having their scars on display. Some women are looking to camouflage their chest area without having to wear inserts. For other women, it’s about balancing out their new silhouette––some volume on top to complement their curves. What we realized is there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution here. Our takeaway is that we have a lot of ways to be creative in designing for the flat community. We understand that scarring, asymmetry, concave areas, and contouring are fairly universal concerns. There are also a lot of women with skin sensitivity and many with lymphedema. In our first season we’ll address these concerns with a variety of designs offering different types of solutions: a fitted, flat-tailored tank with innovative ruching across the bust; a long sleeve top with roomy raglan style arm holes; a dress with a deeply pleated bodice for added volume; and a crisp cotton top with neckline gathers that float fabric away from the body.”

Lauching Spring 2025 and a Kickstarter Campaign

In Spring 2025, FlatWear Clothing will share a collection of eight to ten of its flat designs and open its online shop: FlatWear Clothing. To make that happen, the team has launched a Kickstarter campaign and will be taking orders now for two early release designs, including a charming Little Black Sun Dress (LB(s)D) and a universally loved Little Black Top. For those interested in backing the Kickstarter, the campaign offers up a detailed garment profile that explains how each piece is made for flat women. Becky and Tracy are also offering some fun FWC logo swag and exclusive Kickstarter rewards for people who want to support the flat community.

A woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every fourteen seconds. One in six of those women choose to have a double mastectomy with up to 50% choosing to stay flat––and the number of women choosing flat keeps growing.

FlatWear is here to design for this underserved group of trail-blazing women, and we would love the help of the flat community. We have a minimum fundraising goal, but everything we raise beyond that allows us to offer more designs, more colors, and more sizes.

Says Tracy, “Now that I am working with the flat community, I meet or hear about flat women everywhere. All signs indicate that there are hundreds of thousands (millions?!) of flat women around the world. It boggles the mind that it is still often a discouraged reconstruction option, and that no one has addressed the growing need for flat clothing.”

If you are looking for flat design, would gift one to a loved one, or just want to support the flat community, now is the time to pledge, and support this exciting new business venture.

Becky’s Breast Cancer Story:

“In September 2019, I was diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC).

I was taking a shower and felt a small lump on my left side. Nervous about it, I called my physician, and they told me to come right in. At that appointment, I was scheduled for a mammogram the next day followed by a biopsy. I remember thinking at the biopsy, wow everyone is so nice here. One nurse even hugged me. Now I know it’s usually bad news when the nurses are incredibly nice to you.

I found out I had breast cancer from my primary care physician on September 10^th. When I met with my surgeon, she recommended DNA testing, and it turned out I had a mutated PALB2 gene. With that knowledge, she recommended a bilateral mastectomy. She was great and filled me in on all my options, including flat closure. For me, the quickest, fastest way was what I wanted. Get the cancer out and be done with it. Luckily, I did not need chemo or radiation, and I opted for an aesthetic flat closure.

I’m now cancer free and comfortable being flat!