In the era we live in, thankfully there are dozens of designs of bra to pick from and all of this hassle is because bra is not merely an undergarment but rather something more significant for a woman. Any outfit can look hundred times better when worn with the right type of bra because it naturally accentuates the breast shape and makes a woman feel more curvy and confident. Wouldn’t it be so unfair to not give credits to somebody who invented this piece of cloth which is now an integral part of our lives? So let’s find out who is behind this fabulous invention of bra.
So Who Invented The Bra?
History Behind Invention of Bra
History of bra dates back to thousands of years and was a target of evolution ever since then in order to meet the social and personal demands of the people in each era. The tradition of wrapping and tying the breasts for support is as old as the era of ancient Greek when women used to pin bands of clothes across their breasts to their back. This concept was known as brassiere and this was brought about along with a company named DeBevoise Company.
In 1907, Vogue introduced brassiere in their magazines and this word was entered in the Oxford Dictionary in the year 1911. The bra of that time comprised of straps connected to cups to lift the breasts was given a patent by the Trademark Office and US Patent and Mary Phelops Jacob, an American, was credited for the invention of this modern bra trend in the year 1913.
The Modern Bra (brassiere) Vs Corset
The modern bra designed by Mary was merely two hankies tied together by a pink sophisticated ribbon creating the ‘backless bra’ which widely grabbed attention of her friends and family and soon it was everywhere. Jacob proceeded with this idea to turn it into something big and formed a company to name it as ‘Caresse Crosby’. According to her, this unique undergarment that she called brassiere was more comfortable and ‘delicious’ to wear and it made her feel more proper and free.
In comparison to the corsets which were a trend for women back then, the bra ribbons when pulled and tied taut gave similar effect. While corsets were precursors of brassiere, they aimed to cover the breasts while simultaneously pushing them up and outwards making them more prominent and detectable. This aim was achieved by lacing up the breasts from below to squeeze them up making use of metal and whalebone. This caused women difficulty breathing, minimum freedom to move and deformation of rib cage due to squeezing of the chest.
All of this was used before 20th century. Later, the World War I introduced a new challenge in the form of metal shortage and this gave space to German Sigmund Lindauer’s knitted fabric bra in the year 1913. Modern design invention by socialite Mary Phelop Jacob came into lime light and she successfully filed for its patent and got one by 3 November 1914.
Jacob wrote in her book ‘The Passionate Years’ that her application for patent elaborated that the advantage of the bra was more than just for fashion. It would allow ease of movement that corsets prevented to. Moreover, this invention has features of both; novelty as well as utility combined which is great for a garment.
This garment has no back giving it a superior hand over others because it wouldn’t hinder in the evening gown designs and can be worn without worry. It would be needed to be made in varying sizes and shape according to breast anatomy of the customers to provide them with good fit along with different embroideries and lace designs. It, when worn would be both comfortable and efficient enough to be worn at all times even during vigorous activities such as running and sports. The main benefit of Jacob’s bra was that it involved only the part of the body that needed it.
Final Words
Ever since 1918, corsets became obsolete with the invention of bra and new trends and new designs took over and women were given tremendous choices. Each design had a uniqueness of its own and different people were credited for each one of them. Today, when breasts are considered to be most feminine and sexual part of women’s body, choosing what type of bra to wear is a great hassle for many women but BreastHow can adequately guide you through it.