Published • loading... • Updated
3 Women Found the Equation: Discomfort + Inspiration = the Invention of the Sports Bra
The invention grew from a jogger’s discomfort and became a $1 billion U.S. market, according to Circana.
- At the University of Vermont in 1977, Lisa Lindahl, Polly Smith, and Hinda Miller developed the first sports bra prototype, aiming to create a seamless, breathable design that would provide compression support.
- Jim Fixx's "The Complete Book of Running" became a best seller in 1977 amid the jogging craze; Lindahl and Smith drew inspiration from a jockstrap joke when brainstorming their solution.
- Patenting their design, Lindahl and Miller co-founded Jogbra Inc. in 1979, launching the product as the 1972 Title IX law spurred a surge in women's sports participation.
- Playtex Apparel acquired Jogbra Inc. in 1990, absorbing the product into the Champion brand; nine years later, Brandi Chastain revealed her sports bra during the United States women's World Cup victory.
- Today sports bras top $1 billion in annual U.S. sales, according to market research company Circana. The National Inventors Hall of Fame inducted Lindahl, Miller, and Smith in 2022 as part of the "American Objects" series.
Insights by Ground AI
13 Articles
13 Articles
3 women found the equation: Discomfort + inspiration = the invention of the sports bra – WTOP News
NEW YORK (AP) — It was height of the jogging craze. Jim Fixx’s “The Complete Book of Running” became a best seller in 1977. Even President Jimmy Carter caught the jogging bug, lured by an accessible way to keep fit. One of the millions of ordinary joggers quietly had a brainwave that would produce a now-ubiquitous symbol of female athleticism: the sports bra. Lisa Lindahl had never been particularly athletic; she was the kid who’d skip gym class…
·Chevy Chase, United States
Read Full Article
The Toronto Star+11 Reposted by 11 other sources
3 women found the equation: Discomfort + inspiration = the invention of the sports bra
NEW YORK (AP) — It was height of the jogging craze. Jim Fixx’s “The Complete Book of Running” became a best seller in 1977. Even President Jimmy Carter caught the jogging bug, lured by an accessible way to keep fit.
·Toronto, Canada
Read Full ArticleCoverage Details
Total News Sources13
Leaning Left7Leaning Right1Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution54% Left
Bias Distribution
- 54% of the sources lean Left
54% Left
L 54%
C 38%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
