Maidenform

At the height of the early 20th-century flapper craze, women’s fashion favored straight and flat-chested silhouettes. In a small dress shop in Bayonne, NJ, three people began a fashion rebellion that would turn their little store into America’s leading manufacturer of women’s intimate wear. Enid Bisset and her seamstress, Ida Rosenthal, made dresses that flatter a woman’s natural curves. Every dress purchased included a bra specially designed for the dress. These bras were so popular that the two women, along with Ida’s husband William, decided to devote their entire business to making bras. Innovative from the start, the Maidenform team invented the nursing bra and standard cup sizes. It was also the first company to advertise bras. Today, Maidenform is still headquartered in New Jersey and sells bras and other lingerie around the globe.