Breast cancer survivor and lingerie designer shatters taboos

When Dana Donofree had a bilateral mastectomy and implant reconstruction after her breast cancer diagnosis in 2010, the then 27-year-old fashion designer discovered only medical and uncomfortable bras catering to women with the disease

NEW YORK -- When Dana Donofree had a bilateral mastectomy and implant reconstruction after her breast cancer diagnosis in 2010, the then 27-year-old fashion designer discovered only medical and uncomfortable bras catering to women with the disease.

Such frustrations led Donofree to launch her lingerie company called AnaOno in 2014, aimed primarily for women who had breast cancer and had undergone some type of surgery. The Philadelphia company now offers a variety of wireless bras for women who had breast reconstruction, a mastectomy or lumpectomy because Donofree says every surgery yields different results. The collection also includes post-surgery loungewear.

While the designs were initially sold on her website and medical supply stores, AnaOno is found at mainstream online shops including Soma, Third Love, and more recently Nordstrom and soon Target.com. Her designs are also sold overseas in such countries as Spain, Israel and Canada. Her products incorporate four-way stretch, hidden seams, and gentle fabrics like imported modal, which don’t rub against scars. Other brands like Athleta now offer mastectomy bras, but Donofree said overall the selection is still limited.

Donofree, who has sat on various breast cancer nonprofit boards, is also breaking taboos about women and breast cancer. She has helped to embolden the breast cancer community, using breast cancer survivors of all shapes and ethnicities in her campaigns. Her runway events, which went on hiatus during the pandemic, have raised over $500,000 for metastatic breast cancer research.