Woman-Owned Body Positive Brand Breaking Taboos for Breast Cancer Patients
Meet the company, AnaOno! A one-woman start-up providing intimate wear to breast cancer survivors who have undergone breast reconstruction!
According to the CDC, breast cancer is the 2nd most common cancer among women in the US. Statistically, 1 in 8 US (about 13%) will develop invasive breast cancer in their lifetime.
To learn more about a company that is providing breast cancer survivors the ability to regrow their self-love and confidence, we have invited the CEO & Founder of AnaOno, @anaonointimates, Dana Donofree!
Dana underwent a bilateral mastectomy and implant reconstruction in 2010. After her surgery, she set out to find lingerie and intimate wear that she could wear post-surgery. Upon research, she realized there was a huge gap in the lingerie market. She came to find that instead of seeing empowering lingerie for breast cancer patients, she found medical, ill-fitting, and uncomfortable bras.
Coming from a background in fashion design, she set out to fix this wrong. She began designing lingerie that reimagined wireless bras, loungewear, and intimates for everyone of all shapes, sizes, chests, surgery outcomes, and more.
Tune in live on July 21st at 1 pm PST / 4 pm EST to learn Dana’s story and how she is changing the game and breaking taboos for breast cancer patients!
About Dana Donofree
Dana Donofree is a breast cancer survivor. At the early age of 27, she was diagnosed with Infiltrative Ductal Carcinoma. In 2010, she underwent a bilateral mastectomy and implant reconstruction.
Donofree’s life was bright and filled with health and youthful innocence before being diagnosed. Not only was she about to be married, but her career as a fashion designer was also on its way to becoming a success. She was a designer for Goldbug, a children’s apparel accessories company.
After being diagnosed with breast cancer and undergoing surgery, she came to learn that although her surgically-developed breasts looked the same as her “natural” breasts, they required different bras than she had worn before. Realizing she couldn’t wear any of her previous lingerie, her mental health was negatively impacted.
While looking for new lingerie, she came to find that breast cancer lingerie was medical, ill-fitting, and uncomfortable. With not many options in the market, she became tired of hiding workout bras under her business clothes.
Donofree came to understand that she couldn’t be alone. She believed that many other breast cancer survivors had to share the same emotions and feelings as her. Realizing that she needed to make a change, she used her background in fashion design to create her company, AnaOno.
While continuing to work for Goldbug, Donofree spent three years developing, designing and funding AnaOno. After launching her company in 2014 with only 137 customers, she was granted a $10,000 award from the FedEx Small Business Grant Contest and Intuit’s Small Business Big Game Contest.
Donofree eventually took a leap of faith and quit her job at Goldbug to prioritize all of her time and energy into AnaOno.
“I get a lot of energy and insight into these women’s lives about how they stand a bit taller, how they feel sexier with their partner, how they just feel better about themselves, how they’re not in physical pain—or just how much they realized that they were in pain and now they’re not,” Donofree says.
About AnaOno
AnaOno is a lingerie and loungewear company designed for women who have undergone breast reconstruction. Working with design interns, Donforee hand makes various designs such as lacey and sporty. Her designs are made without underwire which allows for four-way stretch, hidden seams, and rental materials that help the material avoid pain points. To help those who have post-surgery soreness, Donofree has also designed bras that contain a zipper in the front.
In addition to lingerie, AnaOno also sells loungewear which includes many comfortable pieces! AnaOno’s website also offers options for radiation, bilateral reconstruction, unilateral reconstruction, unilateral without reconstruction and more.
Her hard work has led the company to be featured on the Today Show, Good Morning America, NBC News, Forbes—the list goes on.
Today, AnaOno, a one-woman start-up, has partnered with Jill’s Wish by providing 10% of its profits to her foundation. Jill’s Wish prioritizes providing financial support to breast cancer patients.
Watch the Interview
Tune in live today at 1 pm PST / 4 pm EST to learn more about Dana Donofree’s company, AnaOno!
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