In 2023, over a cup of coffee in Camden Maine, Becky Johnson and Tracy Friden came together to create FlatWear Clothing.
Serving women with a flat closure after a mastectomy, FlatWear’s mission is two fold—to make clever designs that fit and flatter the flat form, and to be a resource for the flat community.
Through FlatWear we hope to be part of the support system for women who have chosen flat closure, and for women struggling with the decision now. We would like to be a positive part of the flat community and create clothing that makes women feel beautiful for years to come.
FlatWear is an online shop based in Maine, USA.
FlatWear Clothing
Becky
Diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma in 2019, Becky chose an aesthetic flat closure after a bilateral mastectomy and quickly discovered the lack of clothing designed for women living flat. She approached Tracy with the idea for a flat clothing company in 2023 and a year later FlatWear LLC was born. With a background in real estate and small business, Becky manages daily operations for FlatWear and is a key part of community connections. A Maine native, Becky grew up in Rockport and is deeply rooted in the midcoast community. She is known for being a very fast walker and for loving a good beach.
Tracy
A fashion graduate from Parsons School of Design, Tracy has been making women’s clothing for more than 15 years. As designer and creative director for FlatWear, she manages production with a keen eye for detail, and loves finding creative solutions for a flat fit. Tracy fell in love with Maine in 2021 and met Becky (her real estate agent!) while looking for a home in Camden. She is known for murdering plants and for an unhealthy obsession with Twist Erase mechanical pencils.
The amazing women of the flat community have been our foundation. They’ve answered questionnaires, given us design ideas, tried on samples we mailed to them, modeled for us, cheered for us, and lifted us up.
In the greater community supporting flat women, we have had invaluable guidance from mentors, fellow designers, business advisors, and marketing strategists—their time freely given.
In our small midcoast Maine neighborhood we’ve had help with our first photo shoot, news outlets and social media platforms have told our story, and the number of personal referrals to help us build a network of resources is humbling.
In addition to all that, so many people made FlatWear possible by supporting our Kickstarter campaign. Our ambition was to fund more than the production of a few flat garments - we wanted to launch a business that would be a resource for flat women now and in the future. With your help we’ve launched our first collection of designs and FlatWear is now poised to grow towards that ambition.
We didn’t do it alone. It takes a village - and ours totally showed up for us.
Thank you all very very much - Becky & Tracy