Qups by ProudBreast, an innovative breast prosthesis available in St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius.
PHILIPSBURG--Positive and Elektralyets Foundations along with ProudBreast Brand Ambassador Simone van Dijk are set to launch a project to make the Qups by ProudBreast, an innovative breast prosthesis, available in St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius. The launch is set for 6:00pm Thursday, October 20, at Commodore Suites in Cole Bay.
Positive and Elektralyets Foundations and ProudBreast made a “Ladies Agreement” in August 2022 to bring the Qups to St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius. For the ProudBreast introduction, the foundations found medical company Benu Pharmacy that will be the main supplier.
The Qup is the new feminine alternative for all types of breast prostheses, a new comfortable padding for the bra for a carefree symmetrical life. The launch coincides with the foundations’ awareness activities for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
A Qup is made of breast-shaped ultra-soft foam covered by high-standard biological cotton jersey. The shape and size are optimised to a wide range of standard lingerie sizes. The Qup can be placed in a bra with or without stitches. It can be sewn into the bra with the sewing kit that comes with the Qup. Thus, every woman can create a bra that perfectly fits her body shape.
Encouraging women to attend the launch and other awareness activities, ProudBreast Brand Ambassador Simone van Dijk shared how she became involved with Qups. “In 2020, my mother Trudy was diagnosed with breast cancer. After her operation, she wanted a light, comfortable breast prosthesis and found ProudBreast. After two years Trudy is still very happy with her Qups. Because of my mom’s positive experiences, I became a fan of ProudBreast myself.”
Van Dijk’s mother’s visit to Curaçao highlighted how well the Qups work for women living in (or visiting) a tropical climate. In Curaçao, the traditional silicone prosthesis is usually offered. “They are not always comfortable, especially during the summer when we have really hot temperatures.”
Bringing Qups to St. Maarten was also important to Van Dijk. She was once a resident here, having lived, volunteered and worked on the island for over three years. She worked as a community coordinator with St. Maarten AIDS Foundation and volunteered as a mentor for its youth wing.
White and Yellow Cross Care Foundation (WYCCF) has offered to open a fitting centre so women in St. Maarten can see, feel and try the breast prostheses with an experienced and trained fitting professional. With the help of these professionals a woman can find the prosthesis that suits her body type and lifestyle.
Benu Pharmacy will be the main supplier of Qups for the three islands. The Benu Pharmacies board offered to add the breast prostheses by ProudBreast to their assortment. Women diagnosed with breast cancer receive a prescription for a breast prosthesis from their oncologist or general physician. With the prescription and the recommended Qup size and type a women can collect her breast prosthesis at Benu Pharmacy.
Lingerie entrepreneurs have the possibility to offer these products since September 2020. These are regular lingerie shops and retailers specialised in prostheses. As of July 2022, Dutch lingerie company Livera is offering the Qups in all of its stores and the Qups became available from retailers in Belgium and Germany. In Curaçao the Qups are available via Curves & Hips and Princess Wilhelmina Foundation, which added the SoftQup temporary to its more traditional prostheses collection to offer a larger freedom of choice.
After an extensive research and development process, Dutch founders Clary Scheres and Suzanne Kemps were able to launch ProudBreast B.V. in April 2019. As a social enterprise it mainly focuses on creating impact. From the beginning, its goal was to develop a product together with the target group (women without breasts) – a comfortable breast prosthesis.
As a social enterprise, ProudBreast is committed to reflecting its values in everything it does. The company has linked its impact objectives to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
For more information about the fight against breast cancer and about Qups, contact Shelly Alphonso at +1-721-580-9658 or email
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