Chopstick bra promises cleavage and conservation

By Toshi Maeda

TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - Who says eco-friendly can't be sexy? The makers of the shopping bag bra and the microwaveable "warm" bra have come up with a new way to save the planet and enhance your cleavage -- the chopstick bra.

Lingerie maker Triumph International Japan unveiled the "My Chopsticks Bra" on Wednesday in Tokyo in a bid to promote the use of reusable chopsticks instead of disposable ones.

Japanese bin an estimated of 25 billion wooden pairs of chopsticks a year, many of them already made from recycled wood chips, but a growing number of environmentally aware consumers want to combat this "throw away" culture.

"It's a small step, but because many Japanese chopsticks are disposable, big chunks of forests are being cut down," said Hiromi Shinta, spokeswoman for the company.

The concept bra, which comes with a pair of collapsible chopsticks, has a Japanese dining table theme -- the right cup consists of a rice bowl, the left cup a miso soup bowl, and a removable chopstick-rest lies between the cups.

Holsters, made of cloth and placed on the sides of the cups, hold the chopsticks while pushing the breasts to create cleavage.

Being eco-friendly is now fashionable in Japan, where people are increasingly carrying around reusable bags and chopsticks.

"It's easy to forget to bring along your own chopsticks, but if it's always on you here, then that's pretty practical," model Yuko Ishida, who was wearing the bra, said.

Like Triumph's other eco-friendly lingerie, the bra will not go on sale.

In recent years, the company has launched a novelty bra that turns into a cloth shopping bag -- aimed at reducing the amount of plastic carriers -- and another that can be heated in the microwave to keep the wearer warm and reduce energy consumption.