At Journelle, our mission is simple and deeply personal: to make sure our lingerie collection is as diverse, thoughtful, and adaptable as you are. Every body, every scar, and every story is different—so we are proud to have expanded our Mastectomy and post-surgical lingerie offerings. From immediately post-op to long-term recovery and everyday life beyond treatment, each brand we carry is selected to support you at every stage of your journey. We recently spoke with Dana Donofree, Founder and Designer of AnaOno, a collection created for the many unique ways breasts have been (re)imagined and (re)created. Read on for Dana’s story and how her designs aim to brighten someone’s day, one beautifully fitting bra at a time.

What inspired you to create AnaOno’s mastectomy lingerie?

I was in my mid-20s when I received a breast cancer diagnosis that led to a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction. After surgery and treatment, I expected many changes, but I didn’t anticipate how dramatically my relationship with underwear would shift. Underwire bras and molded cups—once my go-to—became ill-fitting and painful. Overnight, everything I thought I knew about bra shopping no longer applied.

Everyone kept directing me to “mastectomy bras.” When I finally tried them on, I cried. The options felt clinical, matronly, and anything but me. Even though choosing reconstruction was the right decision for my health, it felt like the world was telling me I was broken, that beauty and sensuality were no longer mine to claim, and that I should simply feel grateful to be alive. Gratitude mattered—but it wasn’t enough. I wanted to live, to feel like myself, to get dressed in the morning without hiding behind discomfort or shame.

With more than a decade of fashion design experience, I decided to reimagine the bra for my body as it was, not as others expected it to be. I took apart a bra to build it back differently, designing around surgical realities like scars, sensitivity, expanders, implants, and flat closures. From that process, AnaOno was born—mastectomy lingerie and post-surgical bras made to honor your body and how you choose to live in it.

I am incredibly proud of how far we’ve come and how many patients around the world we’ve supported. My hope is simple: no person diagnosed with breast cancer should cry in a fitting room because there’s nothing there that fits their body or their spirit. If you’ve ever felt unseen by traditional lingerie, I want you to know there’s a place for you here.

As you think about your own style and comfort, what would it feel like to put on a bra that was designed for the body you have today—one that supports your needs and celebrates your story?

From diagnosis to design: how AnaOno creates post-surgical and mastectomy bras

In the early days, I designed from lived experience—mine. I needed bras that wouldn’t rub against scars, pinch tender tissue, or demand symmetry where it didn’t exist. But over time, the work grew beyond my story. Surgeries have evolved, language has evolved, and access has grown. We now serve people across the globe with many different needs and choices: aesthetic flat closure, unilateral mastectomy, implant reconstruction, tissue-based FLAP reconstruction, lumpectomy, explant, and beyond.

Every surgical path yields different sensations, contours, and support requirements. Some people want pocketed, wire-free bralettes to hold lightweight forms or modesty pads; others prefer seamless styles that won’t irritate healing skin; and many want beautiful lace that still respects sensitive areas. Our design process begins with those realities and stays rooted in community feedback. We prototype with real patients, refine based on fit trials, and prioritize soft, breathable fabrics and construction that consider drains, ports, expanders, tenderness, and arm mobility.

We proudly call ourselves boob-inclusive: one breast, two breasts, no breasts, or new breasts—your body is welcome. We aim to meet you wherever you are on your journey, whether you’re post-op and prioritizing ease, midway through recovery and seeking stability, or years out and simply ready for lingerie that reflects your style.

Changing perceptions: mastectomy lingerie can be beautiful, modern, and yours

Mastectomy and post-surgical lingerie doesn’t have to look or feel clinical. It certainly isn’t “your grandma’s mastectomy bra” anymore—and it never needed to be. You deserve to live boldly and comfortably, with or without breasts, with soft everyday basics or with lace that makes you feel stunning. This is about empowerment and self-expression, not fitting into an outdated idea of what’s “normal.”

Historically, mastectomy bras were designed to hold heavy prosthetic forms so wearers could appear “normal” under clothes. Today, that definition doesn’t serve many of us. Normal is not a goalpost for your life after surgery; your body simply is, and it’s yours to celebrate. At AnaOno, we work to restore comfort and beauty as a right, not a reward—whether you’ve removed your breasts due to cancer, chosen augmentation or reduction, gone flat, or opted for reconstruction. And yes, sometimes the right choice is simply a soft, wire-free bra that makes every day more comfortable.

How can thoughtfully designed intimates improve your day?

Intimates are the first thing you put on and the last thing you take off, which is why they set the tone for everything in between. After my surgery, I spent months stuffing myself into uncomfortable sports bras. I hid neon straps under blouses and fought with fabric that dug into scars. It was exhausting. That daily friction—tiny and constant—wore on my confidence. I didn’t feel like myself, and I couldn’t express my style because my underpinnings limited me.

It wasn’t until I rebuilt my lingerie drawer that I realized how much power a good fit holds. Now, when I slip into my AnaOno bra, I feel calm in my body and clear in my mind. I’m supported where I need it, free where I want it, and comfortable everywhere else. I look good, I feel good, and I move through my day with a little extra courage. If that feeling reaches even one person each day—if it makes getting dressed a moment of joy instead of a chore—then every late night of design and fit testing has been worth it.

One must-have from AnaOno—and why it wins

If I had to pick a favorite (the way a parent “doesn’t” have one), it’s the Susan. This pocketed, wire-free triangle style has a plunging neckline that feels as elegant as it looks. It offers the coverage I want in the areas that can make me self-conscious—like a bit of fullness above an implant or along a scar line—while still letting me embrace shape, softness, and lace.

What I love most is its versatility: it supports me through errands, meetings, and dinner, and if I’m lucky, straight into the bedroom. It’s sophisticated yet playful, comfortable yet undeniably pretty. And it looks incredible on so many bodies—on natural breasts, on flat chests, with lightweight forms, and on reconstructed silhouettes. Sometimes I let a hint of lace peek out from a blouse; other times I keep the secret shine to myself under a sweater. That choice is mine, and that tiny spark of confidence is everything.

A practical checklist for choosing mastectomy lingerie

Finding the right post-surgical or mastectomy bra can feel overwhelming—especially as your needs change during healing. Use this simple checklist, informed by real-life fit challenges and design insights, to guide your search.

• Start with sensitivity: Seek ultra-soft, breathable fabrics that won’t rub against incisions or scar tissue. Modal, micromodal, and smooth lace can be gentle options.
• Prioritize wire-free comfort: Many post-surgical bodies do best with wire-free support that doesn’t press on tender areas or shift during the day.
• Look for pocketed versatility: Pockets allow you to add light forms, balance asymmetry, or insert modesty pads when you want them.
• Consider closures and mobility: Front-close styles can make dressing easier after surgery or during limited range of motion.
• Check band and strap adjustability: Extra adjustability helps you fine-tune support as swelling changes or as your body evolves.
• Mind the neckline and coverage: Choose silhouettes that align with your wardrobe and comfort—plunging, full-coverage, or something in between.
• Think about seams and placement: Smooth finishes and thoughtfully placed seams help avoid irritation along scars or radiation-sensitive skin.
• Honor your aesthetic: Whether you favor simple and sleek or romantic and lacy, your lingerie should reflect you—not just your medical history.
• Test for all-day wear: Move, stretch, sit, and breathe. The right bra should support without reminding you it’s there.
• Plan for your path: Your needs may shift from post-op to long-term wear. Build a small rotation that meets each stage with comfort and style.

Community-led design and feedback

AnaOno’s styles are shaped by the people who wear them. We listen closely to feedback from survivors, thrivers, and anyone navigating surgery or recovery. Your insights help refine fabric choices, pocket depth, strap placement, and the gentle structure that makes all the difference during long days.

How has your relationship with lingerie changed post-surgery or after a major body transition? What features bring you relief, joy, or confidence now that didn’t matter before? Your experiences help inform the next generation of designs.

Confidence, comfort, and expression—every day

Mastectomy lingerie should do more than fit; it should feel like you. Maybe that means a soft, pocketed bralette while you’re healing, a supportive everyday style for work, and a lace piece that makes you feel radiant on date night. Different days call for different needs—and that’s the point. You deserve options that respect your body and your style at every phase.

Ultimately, the most powerful shift happens when you put on a bra designed for your present body and feel yourself exhale. Comfort opens the door to expression, and expression brings back a sense of self. That is the heart of AnaOno’s approach: design that dignifies, supports, and celebrates.

Closing thoughts: empowerment through choice

Across all of these stories runs a shared theme—empowerment. When lingerie is made for the many ways bodies heal and change, the result is freedom: to dress for yourself, to show or conceal, to lead with comfort or indulge in beauty. Diversity in lingerie is not a trend; it’s an acknowledgment that there are countless ways to be whole.

Explore AnaOno as well as our entire Mastectomy collection at Journelle Union Square, Journelle.com and on our Journelle app.