IDA ROSENTHAL
MANY a U.S. woman —and man—boggles at the flat-chested styles that occasionally spring from Paris couturiers, but no one resents them with a deeper passion than a spry little (4 ft. 10 in.) grandmother named Ida Rosenthal.
Mrs. Rosenthal, 74, is
the founder and chairman of Maidenform Inc., the chief U.S. brassiere manufacturer and the originator of the modern bra. "Nature has made woman with a bosom," says Mrs. Rosenthal, "so nature thought it was important. Who am I to argue with nature?"
By helping nature, Ida Rosenthal has probably had a greater impact on the U.S. female form than all the couturiers in Paris. On any day, she estimates, 20% of all U.S. women—or 13 million—are wearing one of her Maidenform bras; 30% of U.S. women own at least one Maidenform. In 115 countries, 20 different styles of Maidenform, dubbed with such fetching names as Arabesque, Sweet Music and Chansonette, shape the contours of debutantes and matrons alike. Maidenform has become a part of the language, thanks to ads featuring women who dreamed they did everything from shopping to being a toreador—while showing off in their Maidenform bras.
Last week Mrs. Rosenthal, who spends 50% of her time traveling to outposts of her Maidenformidable empire, was in Europe. After hurrying through Brussels, Zurich and Amsterdam, she settled in Paris' Ritz, gave a professional appraisal of her clients. "The U.S. woman's bosom is getting smaller," she sighed. "The French woman is sometimes underdeveloped, the Dutch woman is rather heavy, and the British woman needs a little help. Reality cannot always be beautiful."
Mrs. Rosenthal has her own version of aid to underdeveloped countries. Her fastest growing market is overseas, where traditionally braless European women are becoming more sophisticated, and women in many lands have newly emancipated themselves into Western dress. Maidenform is opening accounts even in the bare-breasted tropical islands, e.g., in Papua and Fernando Po. Next spring Mrs. Rosenthal plans to personally invade Russia, where she was born. "I'd like the Russian women to wear Maidenform bras," she says. "They'll look better, they'll feel better, and maybe we'll get along better."
SELLING nearly 10% of all U.S. bras, Maidenform last year took in $34 million, expects a 5% increase in sales this year. Most of it came from the world's best brassiere customer, the U.S. woman. Maidenform's average customer is 24-25 years old, wears size 34B, and frequently (one customer in eight) wants padding in her bra. She is also hard to please. "A woman," says Mrs. Rosenthal, "is a very funny creature. You have to sell her the right size and right type, but what she wants to hear about is fashion. Not only do you have to be a designer; you have to be a psychologist."
Mrs. Rosenthal also believes in engineering. She keeps twelve designers busy engineering her bras at her Bayonne, N.J. factory.