Prior to the development of the Maidenform bra in 1922, women’s fashions typically downplayed a woman’s shape. If a woman was busty, the objective of her undergarments was to flatten her bust line. The more “boyish” her figure, the better. The dress shop owned by Enid Bissett made custom dresses and they believed their products would be more flattering to a woman’s appearance and therefore sell better if they found a way to accentuate a woman’s figure rather than downplay it.

They called their modified undergarment “Maidenform” and gave a brassiere away with the purchase of each custom dress. Women became so keen on Maidenform that the shop began selling them and eventually abandoned dress making altogether to concentrate on the full time production of brassieres. Maidenform in 1925 opened its first full time production plant in Bayonne, New Jersey.

Women have relied on Maidenform as a source for bras since their introduction, but Maidenform became a household name and easily the most popular brand of bra after its introduction of one of the longest running advertisement campaigns in advertising history.

The “I Dreamed” campaign began in 1949 and featured beautiful models exquisitely attired but wearing only a Maidenform bra from the waist up. Whether in an everyday situation or a more elaborate setting, the model would deliver her line, for example; “I dreamed I attended the opera in my Maidenform bra.” After a highly successful twenty year run, the campaign was followed by “Maidenform Woman” which was credited for sales increases of upward of 200%. “Dares to Dream” and a bevy of male celebrity commercials in which famous male actors would discuss their opinions on Maidenform and women’s lingerie followed and kept the Maidenform brand atop the women’s fashion accessory world.

Women continue to favor and rely on Maidenform as a reliable and stalwart manufacturer of quality products. Maidenform has continued to stay on pace with changing styles and fashion trends, offering a wide variety of products to suit any woman’s fashion sense and body type.

A woman may feel flirty and opt for a push-up underwire bra that enhances her visible cleavage, or perhaps she may be less endowed than most and choose a model that will give her the appearance of a more ample bust line.

Perhaps one of the more sought after but under appreciated elements that Maidenform products have been renowned for is the comfort they have engineered into their bra line. Women have complained that comfort in a brassiere can be difficult to find, and have found the solution in the Maidenform line of products.

Closing in on its eighty-fifth year, Maidenform remains one of America’s icons and one of the strongest brands known worldwide. Family owned and operated until 1997, the Maidenform Foundation, a charitable and philanthropic entity is run by William and Ida Rosenthal’s granddaughter Catherine Brawer. So storied is the history of Maidenform, its product line and memorable advertising campaigns that a complete history of the company can be found in the archives of the Smithsonian Institute.