The Journey of a Wireless Bra

The Perfect Base Layer

Did you know that the first patented underwire bra was invented by a woman? In 1893, Marie Tucek patented an underwire bra with fabric breast cups. However, Marie's early bra innovation probably wasn’t the most comfortable. In fact, bra innovation was stalled for about 100 years before Evelyn & Bobbie Founder, Bree McKeen, was awarded the first utility patent for her EB Core® technology. Let’s take a look at the journey of the wireless bra, where it came from, where it went, and where Evelyn & Bobbie is taking it.

Handkerchiefs and Ribbon: The First Brassiere

After Marie Tucek’s patent, NYC fashionista Mary Phelps Jacob launched the next phase in the history of brassieres. In 1913, Mary decided that none of her corsets looked good under her new, sheer evening gown. She made her own bra out of two silk handkerchiefs and pink ribbon and in 1914, patented the design of the first modern bra as the Backless Brassiere. 

Corsets Used More Metal Than Bras

Even though bras became available in 1914, they didn't push corsets out of women's closets for several years. It took a war to do that. In 1917, the U.S. War Industries Board asked women to stop buying corsets to free metal for the war. Patriotic women responded, freeing up over 28,000 tons of metal.

Between the 1920s and Today: Bra History

Comfort & Support

Bra innovation has had its ups and downs. Even though underwire bras date back decades, there haven't been many new breakthroughs in bra material and design since that time. Sports bras compress the breasts. Push-up bras can provide dramatic cleavage and effects, but they are seldom comfortable. Simply removing the metal wires from an underwire bra may increase comfort, but doesn't provide support or lift.

Shape & Adjustability 

Back in the 1910s, Mary Phelps Jacob's bra design process was fitting her own handkerchief bra on herself. Today, most bra companies develop their products on a single "fit model" during their bra design process.The "fit model" for most bras is one individual, who is usually a size medium or 34C. For smaller or larger band and cup sizes, the industry standard is to adjust measurements but not to refit or redesign the bra on diverse bodies.Based on this information alone, it's easy to see how this bra design process seems like it belongs more in the 1920s than the 2020s.

Evelyn & Bobbie’s Contribution to Bra History

Plunge & Push-Up

At Evelyn & Bobbie, we are the geekiest bra designers in the world. We are obsessed not with creating a single perfect bra design, but with fitting our designs to the diverse women who all want the perfect bra for their needs. That's why EB tests designs on multiple bodies in multiple sizes. We see each style on up to 60 different wear-testers before we send a single bra to production. In fact, we are the first to innovate on the traditional bra patents from over 100 years ago with our EB Core®. 

Our process is unique in the bra industry. We design each bra with one goal in mind: to provide both comfort and support. Sounds too good to be true, right? Most bras just provide one or the other. This is because we use biomimicry to scientifically emulate nature's time-tested solutions for supporting extra weight. After all, the support needed for three pounds of breast tissue isn’t the same as it is for 10 pounds. So, how do we make the most comfortable, supportive bras possible? During conceptualization, we work with technical designers with 10+ years experience and a passion for inclusivity and optimizing for plus sizes. Every single design element on our bras is thought about, discussed, and tested in detail. What is the point of looking good if you are feeling terrible? We take data from fittings, wear tests, and feedback and survey results before we finalize a new design to ensure we’re optimizing for comfort and support. On average, it takes 8 iterations to go from concept to final production.