From classroom to custom bras: How one alumna is reshaping lingerie to put women first

Fittingly or not, Ruhee Dhillon — BCom ’04 and founder of custom bra company Rubies Bras — never imagined herself in business. Encouraged by her parents and peers to pursue sciences at the U of A, she dutifully followed that path — at first. “The advice was: become a doctor or an engineer or a lawyer,” recalls Dhillon, “and all my friends went into sciences, so I just did what I was ‘supposed’ to do.” 

Business seemed like the last place she’d end up, especially since she associated it with cutthroat, finance-driven moguls in boardrooms. 

"I never wanted to be a business owner. When I was younger, I thought businesspeople were power hungry, aggressive and ego-centric. Maybe I watched too much of The Apprentice?" she laughs.

Struggling to stay motivated through chemistry labs, however, it didn’t take long to realize that sciences weren’t for her, and when she took a consumer behaviour course in 2001, everything clicked.

Marketing, she realized, wasn’t about hard-selling, it was about understanding people. “I’ll never forget the moment I realized that this could really be something; the Alberta School of Business gave me the space to figure that out.”

Still, she played it safe, believing Finance was the more “practical” subject area to include alongside her Marketing courses. After graduating with a business degree in 2004, she joined ATB as a product manager. But yet again, the marketing department pulled her in. “"Everything seemed to fall into place,” she says. “I didn’t really mean to go into business, or move full time into marketing, but then when I got there, I thought, ‘Oh, these are my people. This is my jam. This is the right fit.’”

Her next career adjustment came when she moved to Toronto and worked for a boutique firm specializing in Fractional CMO services. “That's when I fell in love. I thought, wow, I think I can actually do this for myself.”

In 2010, she launched her own firm, Viva Marketing, helping brands find their voice in corporate sectors in finance, banking and real estate, as well as small-to-medium sized businesses in the retail, fashion and health & wellness space. 

Between clients one year, she vented over drinks with a friend about how impossible it was to find a well-fitting bra. ‘Why don’t you just make your own?' the friend suggested. Seizing the moment and — unbeknownst to her — her entrepreneurial spirit, Dhillon signed up for a sewing course specializing in bra-making. After six months of private classes, she had done it.

“I remember it was a pink bra, and it had so many mistakes on it, but I started crying when I wore it,” she says. “It was not padded. It fit me perfectly. It had wires, but it was comfortable, and it made me feel sexy, and no other bra had ever done that. I was 28 or 29 at the time.

“Personally, I was a late bloomer,” she says. “I went from an A-cup to a B-cup to a C-cup to a double-D in two years. And what that led to was a lot of challenges for my body, because I'm a small frame, large bust. I started having neck problems, back problems, and also I wanted to feel comfortable and confident.

“I’ve always been body positive and at ease talking about the human body — that came naturally to me — but if you had told me back in business school that I'd be a custom bra maker, I would have just laughed at you! I was so proud of this bra. I kept showing my friends, and soon they started asking, 'Can you make me one?’ They hated their off-the-rack bras too.”

Rubies Bras was born in 2015. From the lighter appeal of Rubies’ “cupperware” parties (featured in American Vogue in 2016), to addressing asymmetry (experienced by 50 per cent of women), tackling the nursing and postpartum period, or the more heart-wrenching experience of learning how to craft mastectomy bras after her mother’s breast cancer diagnoses, Dhillon has made it her mission to support women — literally and figuratively — in finding the right fit.

“Having had a lumpectomy myself, I understand firsthand how these experiences shape a woman’s relationship with her body. And, the options for my mom at the time of her mastectomy were very limited. So, I ended up making her a custom bra and it completely changed her life. 

“There’s an identity factor when it comes to your body and your breasts,” she says. ”I remember my mom said she felt almost ugly — like, dismembered — and unsexy. And the bra that came home with her from the hospital seemed to validate that to her. Some women don't identify their femininity or their self confidence through their breasts. But some women do, and it’s a big symbol for them.

“Our entire model at Rubies Bras is unique because we are a made-to-order business, so everything we make is made-to-measure just for your body, your style, and your needs,” says Dhillon. “We are owned and operated right here in Canada by women. No unfair wages, no labour exploitation, no fast fashion practices, just five women operating a responsible and sustainable business that supports our local economy.”

While Dhillon offers in-person appointments at her Edmonton and Toronto studios, she expanded her reach during the pandemic by introducing virtual fittings. Through 1-1 video appointments, she guided clients in taking their own measurements and shipped sizing samples to confirm fit before making the actual custom bra. The approach led to exponential international growth, particularly in the U.S. market. Now, virtual fittings are key to her success. 

“I spent ten years trying to make something out of this business, and I’m at a place now where I'm going to spend the next ten years trying to have fun with it, elevate the product, and take it to the next level. That means more play and creativity, more fashion-inspired pieces.”

When asked about her business advice for burgeoning entrepreneurs, she is confident and clear: "Invest in good branding and marketing, outsource what you are not good at or don’t find joy in, and learn from someone smarter and with more experience than you (I found my coach through Boundless Accelerator). And don’t compromise. Push on to find the right fit in life — and in your garments.”

Consider it a series of alterations that helped Dhillon find her place — not in a world of rigid suits and bottom lines, but in one of personal connection, empowerment, and a refusal to let women be shaped by molds that weren’t thoughtfully made for them.