AsiaLIFE

Meet Sharee Bauld, the woman bringing western lingerie to Cambodia. Mai Lynn Miller Nguyen finds out just how simple, and humanitarian, buying a good bra can be.

The properly fitting bra. It’s been an elusive, nearly mythological creature for many women. Hunting for it at the markets can be like a case of Goldilocks seeking perfection – this is too small, this is too fussy, and that one is about to break! So where to find a just right?

“I use the slogan ‘We’ve got you covered,’” says Sharee Bauld, owner of Bare Necessities. “It explains the concept of the shop – whatever you’re looking for, a sports bra, something lacy, any size, it’s here. And if we don’t have it, we’ll get it.”

An Australian residing in Cambodia since 2001, Sharee recalls a time when limited supplies of foreign products meant she had to scheme to get bras that fit.

“I was doing what everyone was doing – going home and buying in bulk,” says Sharee about how she once handled the dearth of lingerie choices.

There’s no longer any need to allow undergarments to become faded and gray. Opened in November 2009 and recently resettled on Street 322, Bare Necessities is Phnom Penh’s go-to for high quality lingerie imported from Australia and New Zealand. The shop stocks a range of dimensions – ‘from an A cup to a J Cup’ is another motto. If a desired size isn’t available, Sharee can place an order.

The selection runs the gamut from demure to va-va-voom, including plain cotton underwear, coquettish silk nighties, and frilly push-up bras. For practical purposes, there are maternity bras, strapless bras, and the much sought after “T-Shirt bra,” as well as accessories that can work miracles for any woman who has been frustrated trying to hide straps, give an extra lift, or secure a slippery dress. Swimwear offerings are also in the works, anticipated to kick off with a fashion parade and party at the end of July.

For those who can’t distinguish a balconette from a contour brassiere, Sharee can give the run down. She’s used to advising. As a consultant in the tourism sector, Sharee also works with communities, organisations, and governments to realise Cambodia’s potential without negative effects and is currently finishing a PhD in tourism.

Sharee’s reason for opening Bare Necessities has nothing to do with making money for herself – the shop promotes an important cause. Eighteen months ago, her mother passed away from breast cancer. She bequeathed a sum to Sharee, who deliberated about how best to use it.

“I didn’t want to just buy something for the house,” recounts Sharee. “Eventually I came up with this idea of opening a lingerie shop where the profits go to raising breast cancer awareness in the provinces.”

Breast cancer is largely overlooked in Cambodia, with virtually no known information on rates of incidence and mortality. Women in the provinces often rely on local medicinal practices, treating early symptoms of cancer with ineffective herbs. By the time they are referred to a hospital, the disease has already spread beyond the reach of lifesaving intervention.

“I went back to Australia for the funeral and stayed for 3 months,” says Sharee. “When I came back, I would tell the Khmers I know what had happened and they would say ‘my grandmother died from that’, or ‘my auntie died from that’, or ‘my neighbour died from that’. Everyone had a story about someone they knew who had died from breast cancer – and I thought why is no one doing anything?”

Working together with the Stung Treng Women’s Development Centre, Sharee is joining efforts to understand how to address cancer, beginning with training local midwives to detect warning signs. As Bare Necessities starts generating profits, Sharee hopes to support women with costs for treatment.

“People do awareness raising and then that’s all – I want to do it from start to finish,” declares Sharee.

Lingerie that is well made, comes in diverse sizes, and contributes to keeping breasts healthy?

Available now in Cambodia. Bare Necessities, 46 Street 322. Tel. 023 996 664. Open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 7pm