Inside Our New Partnership: Q&A with Honey Cloudz Founder Angela Kornas
Posted by Motionwear Team on Jun 27th 2022
It’s the perfect pairing! Motionwear, the marquee name in dance basics, is partnering with Honey Cloudz non-slip bra inserts, and we’re so excited to add the Honey Cloudz line of products to our collection! Together, our brands offer customers the support, security and comfort they need to move freely and confidently through all their activities.
We recently caught up with Honey Cloudz founder Angela Kornas to learn more about her company, what makes her products so special, and why she thinks this partnership with Motionwear is an ideal match. Here’s what she had to say:
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your background and what led you to launch Honey Cloudz?
A: My background is in product development; a combination of design and textiles, both the development side and management of it, but very heavy in the development. I started my career out working in swimwear, and for all the brands I worked with, I always loved development. I was always really big on reaching out to the actual people that were wearing what we were trying to sell. I noticed that that made me different, because a lot of companies make assumptions about people, like, “Oh, we only need one skin tone!” or, “Oh, the sizing is fine!” and I was really observant. I took a lot of notes and looked at the reviews on websites, and I noticed that people were having fit issues or were being excluded by sizing or skin tone. And I had a deep desire to innovate. I was kind of like the envelope-pusher, just naturally, and I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit.
So, I had been working in swimwear and textiles in California, and I moved to Pennsylvania and started working for Dolfin Swimwear, and there I continued to really innovate and push the envelope. I had been noticing issues with bra inserts, that they don’t stay put, and I had these issues myself. So I made it a project of mine on the side. I bought every sample I could find and made it my mission to figure out how to do it better. I could not believe it was 2018 and there was nothing better!
With Honey Cloudz, I wanted it to be a brand that women would feel like they could come to and it would be inspiring in different ways. I want to be known for quality and being innovative, but also for inclusiveness. That is definitely important to me. I would read stories years ago when I worked in swimwear, and women would say they went to buy bras and were frustrated with there being only one nude skin tone. I just think it is important when women and girls want to wear something lighter, I feel like everybody should be able to have a non-detectable look, if that’s what they want. So I kind of combined all of that — my love of pushing the envelope and innovation and inclusiveness, and I came up with Honey Cloudz.
Q: Where does the Honey Cloudz name come from?
A: It comes from the idea that it’s sticky and grippy, so that’s the honey, and yet it’s really lightweight, like a cloud. So, just something fun and memorable.
Q: Can you elaborate a bit on the problems you saw with other bra inserts that you wanted Honey Cloudz to solve?
A: You could buy a swimsuit from Target to Neiman Marcus, and even in the competitive swim world, you could buy a high-end brand that easily costs $80, $90, $120, and it had the same exact cups with basically the same problems. They slip. They don’t stay in place, so you constantly have to adjust the inserts, or they fall out, and if you want to put them back in the liner, you have to do, like, origami and roll it up or fold it over and slip it in there.
When I was starting to develop my product, I saw a woman once at Target who had an insert falling out of her shirt while she was standing in line, and when I told her about it, she turned red as a beet. Another time I was taking a barre class, and I looked in the mirror at the end of class, and the whole time I had a giant, obvious lump in my sports bra from a bunched-up insert. People have seen them floating in pools. Everywhere you go, at the beach or at the pool, you see visible insert outlines on women. There are so many rants on TikTok and Instagram about these inserts! From embarrassment to frustration to a combination of both, I wrote down all the problems I saw and told my husband that I was going to figure it out. I was determined, and I loved the challenge of figuring it out!
Q: What makes Honey Cloudz bra cup inserts special? What kind of positive feedback have you received from customers?
A: Other insert brands, there wasn’t a lot of thought put into the sizing. So I created a product that solved the problem of sizing inconsistencies, making them bra-based sizing so that they would be more accurate. For example, a lot of brands will do, like, B-C cup or C-D, and as we all know, a 32C and a 42C is a much different cup. So that was one of the issues I tackled.
Another cool thing about Honey Cloudz is that for women who don’t even want to deal with the liner in their tops, they just want to pop the inserts in — you can do that. You don’t have to have a liner. Half of our customers want to keep them in and just leave them in, and so they buy a pair of Honey Cloudz for all their stuff, and they leave them in and don’t have to fix them.They’re like, “Thank you! I just want to leave them in and never see them again!” You can also throw them in the washing machine and then hang dry them, and even in the washer, they are not going to end up in a ball or at the bottom of the machine.
I took my competitive swim design background and used my background in textiles and design and did a lot of product testing. I had aquatic fitness pros, lap swimmers, hot yoga teachers, even a horse trainer, all these amazing women that put the prototypes to the test. It shows our due diligence, because I was not going to release a product that didn’t perform under certain conditions. I knew it was successful when I put it out to these women, and they came back and told me they swam a mile and the inserts didn’t move a bit, or they taught a yoga class and the inserts didn’t move. I tested them myself every way possible, and I even jumped through waves in Florida. I popped them into a V-neck suit and dove through waves, and my inserts were still in place.
I’ve had women from all over the world, and that’s what has blown me away. We have customers and fans in Norway, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and they write to me and say, “There’s nothing like this!” And they’re like, “Thank you!” I’ve had women with lumpectomies or women in the service or women in sports tell me, “Thank you. I don’t have to worry about inserts anymore,” or “Thank you for giving me my time back.” I get personal emails like that, and I read every single one. It’s so cool that this all came from an idea on a piece of paper that I had, and it was the whole thing of not giving up until it all came together.
Q: Are Honey Cloudz for kids, too?
A: Yes! My own nieces wear them and love them, and we have a lot of moms buying for 10- to 12-year-old girls. Moms and girls request the half moon insert, in particular, because it’s a bit thinner, and the girls tend to like that shape the most. Moms will write on our website that the inserts don’t add bulk, which is important, because no one wants that for their 10-year-old. The half moons are quite thin, but they do provide coverage, which is what the girls want. If they feel self-conscious, they can put the half moons in their top and feel comfortable and be covered.
Q: Is there anything else customers should understand about Honey Cloudz?
A: They’re not a stick-on bra, and that’s important for everyone to know. They’re inserts, so they’re meant to be worn in things. You can wear them in a leo or a camisole if it has a liner or a shelf bra, and the same goes for a swimsuit or anything else that’s fitted. The really cool thing about them is because of the patented grippy exterior, nothing sticky is touching you, and you don’t have to tuck them and roll them up and put them in a liner, which is one of the most annoying parts about inserts. So that is also one of my favorite things that women tend to flip out about — in a good way — is that you can just tuck them in a slim tank and as long as it’s fitted, you can wear them without anything. But I don’t want customers to think they can just stick them on their breast and throw a shirt on and run out the door. No. They’re not a stick-on bra.
Q: What are your thoughts on this partnership with Motionwear?
A: I think Honey Cloudz is a great match with Motionwear! Our inserts are a good foundation piece with a good range of sizes. Our inserts don’t add bulk and move with your body, but yet stay in place. So you can move and be covered and not have to worry or be frustrated. You should be able to wear something and not think about it. When you’re thinking about your bra, there’s something wrong. You just want to wear it and go and perform. And I know athletes do not want to think about what they’re wearing. It should just be a part of them. And that’s definitely what Honey Cloudz is all about.
Q: What is your ultimate vision for your company?
A: We’re working on developing new products for next year, and my goal is to be the go-to brand for all things inserts!
We’re so excited to welcome Honey Cloudz to the Motionwear family! Our heartfelt thanks to Angela for taking the time to share her inspiring story and amazing product line with our customers. To explore our expanded collection of premium activewear basics and Honey Cloudz bra cup inserts, visit our online shop, and stay tuned to our social media channels and email newsletters as we continue to celebrate this partnership!