Business & Entrepreneurship

A Sticky Solution

By Pippa Jack / September–October 2024

August 27th, 2024

One high school summer night, Rosie Mangiarotti ’18 was wrestling with one of the adhesive bras that make backless, halter, plunge, and off-shoulder outfits possible. She didn’t like how fast it lost its stickiness, starting to slide down in the humidity. Five years later, as a junior in Professor Danny Warshay’s Entrepreneurial Process class, she set out to create a better one. Her breakthrough idea: replaceable adhesives, which would be more sustainable, cheaper for users, and—hallelujah!—would allow the bra to be washed.

Image of Rosie Mangiarotti with her hand rested on her cheek.

PHOTO: Suki Smith ’17

It took three years and a lot of testing in high-humidity conditions (otherwise known as spin class) for Mangiarotti to find a medical grade adhesive that would do the trick. She launched Perkies in 2021 with its instantly iconic Sticky Bra. “Petals” nipple covers and “Nips” nipple enhancers followed, the latter useful for women who’ve undergone mastectomies (five percent of web sales go to breast cancer research). Branching out beyond bras, Mangiarotti used the adhesive to create no-fog face masks for eyeglasses wearers. Check out perkies.com and stickiemasks.com.