Wonderbra

Origins and Early Development

The Wonderbra story begins with two key figures: inventor Israel Pilot and entrepreneur Moses (Moe) Nadler. In 1935, Israel Pilot in the United States patented an improved bra design featuring a diagonal slash in the cup and a new shoulder strap attachment, which he named the "Wonder-Bra." This design, patented in 1941, provided greater comfort and freedom of movement by cutting the fabric on the bias to maximize stretch. Meanwhile, in 1939, Moe Nadler founded the Canadian Lady Corset Company in Montreal, aiming to produce well-fitting, mid-priced brassieres. Nadler travelled to New York, met with Pilot, and secured the license for the Wonder-Bra trademark and patent for the Canadian market, where the hyphen was soon dropped.

The timing was significant, as the Second World War led to rationing of elastic materials. The diagonal slash design offered a better fit without relying on scarce elastics, giving Canadian Lady a competitive advantage. From 1939 through the 1950s, the company expanded the Wonderbra brand beyond bras to include girdles, slips, swimsuits, and other intimate apparel. In 1952, anticipating the expiration of Pilot's patent in 1955, Canadian Lady launched the Petal Burst line, adapting to the fashionable pointed bust silhouette inspired by Christian Dior. This line was highly successful, accounting for half of the company's bra sales by 1957.

After the patent expired in 1955, Moe Nadler led the post-patent negotiations with D'Amour. D'Amour demanded that Canadian Lady stop using the designs and return the pattern templates. Moe Nadler ignored this demand and instead successfully acquired the Canadian, European, and Asian rights to the Wonderbra trademarks. This allowed the company to move forward into the 1960s with the brand intact. By the mid-1960s, Canadian Lady was exporting and licensing the Wonderbra line to Western Europe, Australia, South Africa, Israel and the West Indies.

Creation of the Push-Up Bra

The development of the push-up bra that would define the Wonderbra brand began in the late 1950s. Moe Nadler travelled to Europe to source new styles, leading to the 1960 introduction of a lacy, half push-up bra described as "Pigeonnant." The important moment came in 1961 when Nadler directed designer Louise Poirier to create a deeply plunged, laced push-up design. The result was Model 1300, which became one of the best-selling bra styles in Canadian history. Its design, featuring angled padding and a low centre, aimed to enhance cleavage and has remained very similar for decades. In 1964, Canadian Lady licensed this and other models to the British firm Gossard, part of Courtaulds Textiles, for sale in the United Kingdom.

In 1961, Moe Nadler directed Louise Poirier to develop a deeply plunged, laced push-up design numbered the 1300. Canadian Lady licensed this model, among others, to Gossard in the United Kingdom in 1964. It was the Wonderbra "Dream Lift" Model 1300 design that became a UK success in the early 1990s. This same model later became the "One and Only Wonderbra" that was launched in the United States in 1994.

Canadian Market Dominance and Brand Evolution

The 1960s and 1970s were a period of profound change for Wonderbra and its parent company in Canada. After Moe Nadler's death in 1964, his son Larry Nadler, a Harvard-trained MBA, took over. He faced a shifting social landscape where feminism and the sexual revolution were challenging traditional norms, and fashion trends like pantyhose and miniskirts were making girdles obsolete. Market research commissioned by Larry Nadler revealed that while women rejected restrictive girdles, they did not reject bras. Women saw bras as tools for feeling fashionable, sexy, and attractive.

Armed with this insight, Canadian Lady, which changed its name to Canadelle Inc. after being sold to Consolidated Foods (later Sara Lee) in 1968, aggressively pursued bra market share while competitors diversified. The company revolutionized its advertising, moving from product-focused ads to brand-building campaigns. Beginning in 1966, Wonderbra introduced television commercials that emphasized fashion and emotional appeal, often featuring a narrative of attraction between a man and a woman. A memorable jingle, "We care about the shape you're in. Wonderful, wonderful, Wonderbra," became closely associated with the brand.

Larry Nadler also identified a youth market segment. In 1974, Canadelle launched Dici by Wonderbra, a line of less-structured bras for teens with a simple design and less support, marketed with animated ads featuring die-shaped packaging and the tagline "Let it be Dici. Dici or nothing." This strategy of segmentation and modern marketing was immensely successful. From 1972 to 1977, the company's wholesale revenue doubled, and by 1979, Wonderbra dominated the Canadian market with a 30 percent share and $27 million in sales.

Global Sensation in the 1990s

The Wonderbra's journey from Canadian market leader to worldwide phenomenon began unexpectedly in the United Kingdom. Around 1991, sales of the licensed plunge style suddenly surged, quadrupling by 1993 to reach $28 million. This boom was attributed to fashion trends like the return of padded bras and the influence of designers like Vivienne Westwood and Jean Paul Gaultier. With the license set to expire in January 1994, brand owner Sara Lee decided not to renew with Gossard and instead reclaim control for a global push.

Sara Lee's UK launch in 1994 featured the well-known "Hello Boys" campaign, with model Eva Herzigová gazing down at her cleavage in a Wonderbra. The campaign achieved massive publicity, with urban myths claiming it caused car accidents. The poster was later exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum. For the US reintroduction, Sara Lee's Playtex division spent a year redesigning the bra, launching "The One and Only Wonderbra" in late 1994 with a $25 million campaign. Although competitors rushed similar products to market, the overall US push-up bra category saw a 43 percent sales increase by year's end, demonstrating the Wonderbra's power to define a market.

Brand Ownership and Modern Era

Following the 1994 relaunch, the Wonderbra expanded from a single push-up style into a full-range lingerie label worldwide. In 2006, Sara Lee sold its intimate apparel portfolio. The Wonderbra trademark became the property of Canadelle Limited Partnership, a wholly owned subsidiary of HanesBrands. Hanes gained the license to sell Wonderbra products in most countries, except in the European Union and several other nations where the license is held by the Dim Branded Apparel group.

The most recent change in ownership occurred on December 1, 2025, when Canadian apparel manufacturer Gildan Activewear acquired HanesBrands, bringing the Wonderbra brand under Gildan's corporate umbrella. In the Canadian market, Wonderbra remains an active brand, sponsoring events like The National Women's Show in 2026 and running promotional contests. Its product line has evolved to include wireless bras, styles without visible seams, and sports bras, while still offering its classic push-up designs. The brand maintains a strong online retail presence in Canada, continuing its long legacy in the country of its birth.

Cultural Impact and Recognition

The Wonderbra holds a unique place in popular culture and Canadian national identity. Its "Hello Boys" campaign is one of the most famous and studied advertisements in history, cementing the bra as a symbol of 1990s sexuality and marketing audacity. The brand's name became shorthand for a push-up bra and entered the global cultural lexicon. In Canada, its impact is viewed with a sense of national pride, rooted in its long history as a homegrown success story.

This pride was formally recognized in 2007 when the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) broadcast the results of an internet poll ranking the top 50 "Greatest Canadian Inventions." The Wonderbra placed fifth, ahead of the pacemaker and behind only inventions like insulin, the light bulb, and the telephone. Furthermore, a 2008 survey of 3,000 UK women reported the Wonderbra as the greatest fashion innovation in history. These accolades underscore the product's significant and lasting impact on everyday life and fashion across decades.

Marketing and Spokesmodels

Wonderbra's marketing has been central to its identity, particularly from the 1960s onward. The shift to emotional, fashion-focused television advertising in the late 1960s, developed with Goodis Advertising, set it apart from competitors who promoted durability and function. The use of a man's voice in the jingle and the showing of bras on live models instead of mannequins were considered bold moves at the time. In 1979, a commercial directed by noted photographer Richard Avedon won a Silver award for television advertisements in Canada.

The brand's global reintroduction in 1994 pioneered the use of "spokesmodels," high-profile international models who represented the brand. Czech model Eva Herzigová became permanently linked with Wonderbra through the "Hello Boys" campaign. Subsequent spokesmodels for various international campaigns included American Madison Michele, Australian Sarah O'Hare, Polish model Magdalena Wróbel, German Nadja Auermann, and American burlesque artist Dita Von Teese. This strategy of associating the brand with glamorous, recognizable faces helped maintain its image as a fashionable and desirable label in the competitive lingerie market.

Questions about Wonderbra

Is Wonderbra a Canadian invention?

While the original "Wonder-Bra" design was patented by American Israel Pilot in 1935, the Wonderbra brand as it is known globally was developed in Canada. Montreal entrepreneur Moe Nadler licensed the trademark for Canada in 1939 and his company, Canadian Lady, developed the push-up styles and built the brand into a market leader. The important Model 1300 push-up bra was designed in Canada in 1961. The brand's business strategy, marketing, and rise to worldwide fame are fundamentally Canadian stories.

What was the famous "Hello Boys" Wonderbra campaign?

The "Hello Boys" campaign was a provocative and highly successful advertising launch for the Wonderbra in the United Kingdom in 1994. It featured Czech model Eva Herzigová wearing a Wonderbra and gazing down at her cleavage, with the caption "Hello Boys. The campaign generated enormous publicity and became a cultural touchstone of the 1990s. An urban myth suggested the billboards caused car accidents due to distracted drivers. The famous poster was later featured in an exhibition at London's Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who owns the Wonderbra brand now?

As of December 2025, the Wonderbra brand is owned by Gildan Activewear, a Canadian apparel manufacturer. Gildan acquired the brand as part of its purchase of HanesBrands. Prior to that, HanesBrands had owned the brand since 2006, having purchased it from Sara Lee Corporation. Sara Lee (originally Consolidated Foods) had owned the parent company, Canadelle, since 1968. The trademark itself is held by Canadelle Limited Partnership.

When did the Wonderbra first become popular?

The Wonderbra first achieved significant popularity in its home country of Canada during the 1970s. Through innovative marketing and product development under Larry Nadler, it became the Canadian market leader, capturing 30 percent of the market by 1979. Its worldwide popularity exploded in the early 1990s, first in the United Kingdom where sales of the plunge style quadrupled between 1991 and 1993. This set the stage for its massively publicized global reintroduction in 1994.

What is the Wonderbra Model 1300?

The Model 1300 is the foundational plunge push-up bra design created for Wonderbra in 1961 by designer Louise Poirier under the direction of Moe Nadler. It features a deep plunge, angled padding, and lace detailing. This bra became one of the best-selling styles in Canada and is very similar to the push-up Wonderbra sold today. It was licensed to the UK in 1964 and, three decades later, was the specific model that sparked the global Wonderbra sensation in the 1990s.

How is Wonderbra marketed differently in Canada versus other countries?

Historically, Wonderbra's marketing has differed by region. In most of the world, especially following the 1994 relaunch, the brand has heavily emphasized sex appeal and glamour, as seen in the "Hello Boys" campaign. In Canada, however, its native market, the brand has often taken a different approach, promoting the functional qualities, fit, and comfort of its products. This is a departure from the overtly sexy strategy that fueled its initial rise in the 1970s and its global image, reflecting a more practical marketing tradition for the brand at home.

Sources: Wikipedia and current public reporting, checked by the Your Space Hamilton desk. Last updated 2026-10-23.