A New Canaan couple’s athletic brand, Boob Protect, has landed its first retail placement at Darien Sport Shop.
A breast protection insert for female athletes, Boob Protect was co-founded by town resident Christian Murphy and his brother-in-law, Matt Plavoukos, in January 2025. The idea was inspired by Murphy’s childhood friend, who originally founded the product “Boob Armour” in Australia.
Christian Murphy and his wife, Stacy Murphy, who serves as COO of Boob Protect, have spent months researching and pitching their product, ultimately culminating in this new partnership with Darien Sport Shop.
“It’s hard to overstate the significance of this partnership; it’s huge,” Christian Murphy said of his product finding a new home. “To be in such an established, iconic Fairfield County institution in Darien Sport Store is a huge vote of confidence in the product and the need to offer breast protection for female athletes.”
He continued: “The visibility this placement will bring is extraordinary and will help raise awareness for breast health in women’s sports.”
Christian Murphy detailed the process of putting Boob Protect on the store’s walls, describing that his team reached out to Darien Sport Shop, and the store was incredibly receptive to the idea.
He said those at Darien Sport Shop “were very open to meeting and learning about the product” and that they wanted to “support what [Boob Protect] was trying to do.”
Director of Buying at Darien Sport Shop Aly Turchioe said that partnering with Boob Protect was a “no-brainer.”
“It felt right to test the product,” Turchioe said. “Not only to get it in the hands of female athletes of all ages to protect against breast injuries but also to spread knowledge about these types of injuries to our customers.”
Boob Protect is located on the third floor of Darien Sport Shop in the sports equipment section.
The future of Boob Protect is continuing to raise awareness via social media and brand ambassadors, according to Christian Murphy.
“We want to continue to build our passionate base of followers on our social platforms and grow our Brand Ambassador Program,” he said. “We’ve received strong interest from multiple college athletes in sports such as rugby and lacrosse, and we want to continue to expand on that front.”
Murphy added: “This is a timely issue in New Canaan and the broader Fairfield County with Fall Sports starting up; we must do everything we can to protect our athletes.”