The Bioform Bra

The Bioform bra from Charnos, released in 2000, was dubbed as “the ultimate innovation for women with larger busts” and the real irony is that it took two men to design and develop this stress-tested and underwire-free garment. The bra claims to offer impressive uplift without the compression and pinching that is often experienced in traditional underwire bra models.

Made of 39% polyamide, 34% polyester, 15% viscose and 12% Elastane, the Bioform bra is machine washable and contains a molded wing composed of reinforced polypropylene, housed within an Elastomer cup for comfort. While this sounds a bit like a science experiment, it all comes together to create a unique and supportive undergarment, which the product packaging describes as “a sculptured 3-dimensional under cup support that gently holds and shapes to give a figure flattering profile.”

Charnos invested over $3 million in the innovation of the new Bioform Bra and employed the expertise of Seymour Powell, a design consultancy that has won awards for high-speed trains and motorcycles. Dick Powell and Richard Seymour are both London-based industrial designers and, in need of sophisticated computer modeling software and advanced analysis skills, they were assisted in this project by Ove Arup & Partners’ Advanced Technology Group. The highly technical process by which the Bioform was created included using a “computational representation” of the bra on a body, which was created by scanning the geometry of a model, and then constructing the new piece using techniques typically associated with the modeling of airbags and seatbelts in cars. The performance of the bra was analyzed and the results displayed “fluctuating stresses” in the cups and straps, with a higher constant stress around the band.

The Bioform Bra represents Seymour Powell’s first venture into the lingerie industry and attempts to use gravity and natural shape/weight to sculpt the breast instead of excessive padding or painful underwires. The bra was built using real-world sizes and claims to provide “rigidity where you want it and softness where you need it.” The UK magazine The Guardian tested out this claim in 2000, following the release of the Bioform, and found that it “did not live up to expectations,” in their opinion. Nine volunteers who tested the bra consistently felt that it was too “solid” and that they could not “get used to it,” even after multiple days of wear. However, all testers conceded that the Bioform provided them with “impressive uplift” where other bras did not and that it was sure to “hold you in and up, come what may.”

Though these testers did not particularly like how aware they were of the bra, the sales for the Bioform skyrocketed upon its release, likely due to novelty as well as science. Charnos hopes to build the Bioform technology into other types of garments in the future, including T-shirts, swimsuits and other types of women’s outerwear. In an attempt to compensate for the increasingly curvy female population (average cup size was 34B in the 1950’s, whereas today it stands at 36C), designers and inventors alike are putting their ideas on the drawing board, or the mannequin more appropriately, in hopes that one day they will, indeed, create the perfect bra.

Resources:

Robert Uhlig. "Engineers famous for their wobbly help build 2m bra." The Telegraph. 26 October 2000. 1 March 2011.  

"Designing the Perfect Bra?" Autospeed. 22 January 2002.1 March 2011.

"Mould-breaking Boulder Holder!" Red Hot Curry. December 2000. 1 March 2011.

Conway, Susannah. "Bioform Bra." The Guardian. 17 November 2000. 1 March 2011.