ThirdLove is homing in on Victoria's Secret's biggest weakness

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ThirdLove is homing in on Victoria's Secret's biggest weakness

Thirdlove

Courtesy of Thirdlove

ThirdLove photographed 78 women in the same bra to demonstrate the breadth of size.

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  • ThirdLove is homing in on Victoria's Secret's biggest weakness: size inclusivity.

  • On Wednesday, the online lingerie brand rolled out eight new sizes and expanded its assortment of existing styles.

  • This brings its collection to 78 bra sizes.

ThirdLove is homing in on Victoria's Secret's biggest weakness: size inclusivity.

On Wednesday, the online lingerie brand rolled out eight new sizes and expanded its assortment of existing styles.

These new sizes include 30C1/2, 30D1/2, 30E1/2, 38A1/2, 38I, 40A, 40H, and 42B.

This brings its total collection to 78 bra sizes, with bands ranging from 30" to 48" and cups going from AA to I. For comparison, Victoria's Secret offers 30AA to 40DDD. American Eagle's Aerie offers from 30A to 40DD.

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Cofounder and CEO Heidi Zak recently told Business Insider that the style of the bra will not change in larger sizes - a complaint recently raised by customers of Rihanna's Savage X Fenty line.

The larger sizes will have more microfiber on the wing of the bra and an additional layer of fabric for extra support, and the price will stay the same, she said, despite it costing 40% more to produce.

ThirdLove has built its business around being body-inclusive, offering extended sizes and featuring real women of all shapes and sizes in its marketing campaigns. It has been public about its quest to shake up the industry and disrupt longtime leader Victoria's Secret.

Read more: We market to who we sell to, and we don't market to the whole world': Victoria's Secret fires back at critics who say it excludes plus-size shoppers

This rivalry came to a head in November after an executive at Victoria's Secret's parent company, L Brands, took a direct hit at ThirdLove in a controversial interview with Vogue.

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"We're nobody's third love," executive Ed Rasek said. "We're their first love. And Victoria's Secret has been women's first love from the beginning."

In the interview, Rasek also made controversial comments about plus-size and transgender models, saying that he didn't think the company's annual fashion show should feature "transsexuals" because "the show is a fantasy."

In response, ThirdLove ran a full-page ad in The New York Times slamming Victoria's Secret.

"Your show may be a 'fantasy' but we live in reality. Our reality is that women wear bras in real life as they go to work, breastfeed their children, play sports, care for ailing parents, and serve their country," the ad said. "It's time to stop telling women what makes them sexy - let us decide."

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