A History of Innerwear: From Tailoring the Body to Clothing, to Clothing that Embraces the Body
The innerwear we wear every day.
Bras, panties, undershirts, camisoles, girdles, sports bras, cool-touch innerwear.
These items, which we now take for granted, have gradually changed their forms over a long history.
The basic form of modern women's innerwear is based on a system of bras, panties, slips, and girdles that developed from European clothing culture.
However, rather than simply inheriting European traditions, current innerwear has developed into a global standard of clothing, influenced by the mass production and brand culture of America, the manufacturing technology and functional materials of Asia, and the Japanese sensibility towards comfort and cleanliness.
Roughly speaking, the history of innerwear can be said to be a history of change: from "something to conceal" to "something to correct the body," and from "something to comfortably support" to "something to adjust and express oneself."
History of Innerwear: Major Trends
| Era | Main Innerwear | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Ancient ~ Middle Ages | Linen undershirts, chemise-like garments | Protect clothes from sweat/dirt, hygiene |
| 16th ~ 18th Century | Stays, corsets, petticoats | Shape the body to the ideal of the era |
| 19th Century | Corsets, crinolines, bustles | Structural material to create dress silhouettes |
| Early 20th Century | Bras, girdles, slips | Liberation from corsets, toward ease of movement |
| Late 20th Century | Nylon, polyurethane, underwire bras, sports bras | Elasticity, functionality, mass production |
| 1990s Onwards | Visible innerwear, shapewear, seamless, functional innerwear | Fashionability, comfort, self-expression |
| Modern Day | Non-wired, sweat-absorbing & quick-drying, cool-touch, femcare, genderless | Kindness to the body, solving lifestyle issues |
1. The First Innerwear Was a "Hygiene Product"
Originally, underwear was not meant to "look beautiful" as it is today.
Its primary role was as a hygiene product placed between the skin and clothing.
Outerwear in the past was expensive and could not be washed as frequently as modern clothes. Therefore, it was necessary to wear linen undershirts directly against the skin to absorb sweat and sebum.
In other words, innerwear was primarily something to protect the body, and at the same time, something to protect expensive clothes.
Image: Tunic, probably 5th century, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
An example of a tunic layered in the ancient Mediterranean world.
At this stage, innerwear was almost "invisible."
It was not clothing to be seen by others, but rather practical fabric that served a purpose between the skin and outer garments.
In modern terms, it's similar to sweat-absorbing innerwear or undershirts.
Cleanliness over ornamentation.
Longevity of clothes over appearance.
This is where the history of innerwear begins.
2. The Age of Corsets: Adapting the Body to Clothing
From the 16th century onwards in Europe, stays and corsets became important for shaping women's bodies to the ideal silhouette of the era.
Corsets were tools used to shape the bust, waist, and torso, creating a beautiful line for the outer garment.
The Victoria and Albert Museum explains that Victorian underwear, such as corsets, shaped the waist, while crinolines and bustles supported the silhouette of skirts.
What's important here is that innerwear of that time focused on creating the body shape demanded by society, rather than comfort.
In other words, innerwear existed largely for the sake of clothing and social appearance, rather than "for the sake of the body."
Today, we seek "comfort," "feel," and "less constriction" in our innerwear.
However, in those days, the emphasis was on shaping the body with innerwear to make outer garments look beautiful.
It was an era where the body adapted to the clothes.
3. 19th Century: Innerwear Becomes the "Structural Material" of Clothing
In the 19th century, women's dresses became even larger and more three-dimensional.
Expansive skirts, voluminous silhouettes at the back, and a slim-looking waist.
Image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, “Ensemble,” ca. 1855, Public Domain.
A mid-19th-century dress. Innerwear also served as structural material to create the silhouette of the dress.
Innerwear of this era was no longer just a simple undershirt.
It was an architectural component that formed the very shape of the clothing.
| Item | Role |
|---|---|
| Corset | Shapes the torso, waist, and bust |
| Crinoline | Expands the skirt significantly |
| Bustle | Adds volume to the back silhouette |
| Petticoat | Adjusts the shape and layers of the skirt |
Innerwear of this era was not "clothing worn underneath," but rather the framework that enabled outer fashion.
It's like pillars and beams inside a building.
They may not be visible from the outside, but without them, the overall shape cannot be maintained.
Innerwear was a structure that supported women's clothing from within.
4. Early 20th Century: From Corsets to Bras
Entering the 20th century, women's lives and clothing underwent significant changes.
Urban life, work, sports, cycling, and social participation due to war.
As the demands for women's movement increased, rigid corsets became incompatible with the times.
In the 1920s, bras, which were lighter than corsets and supported from the shoulders, became widespread.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art explains that while traditional corsets supported the bust from the waist, the bandeau bras of the 1920s shifted to a structure supported by shoulder straps.
Here, the philosophy of innerwear changed significantly.
From constricting the body to fit clothing,
to
supporting the body while allowing for ease of movement.
This marks a major turning point in the history of innerwear.
Of course, it didn't immediately become the comfortable bra we know today.
Nevertheless, a movement began away from rigidly fixing the body with corsets, towards lighter, more flexible innerwear.
5. Mid-20th Century: The Material Revolution
A very significant aspect in the history of innerwear is the change in materials.
From an era dominated by cotton and linen, nylon, polyurethane, stretchy fabrics, and synthetic fibers emerged.
This led to a major evolution in innerwear.
Image: Smithsonian, National Museum of American History, “Experimental stockings,” 1937,
The earliest experimental nylon stockings, made by Union Hosiery for DuPont in 1937
| Material/Technology | Impact on Innerwear |
|---|---|
| Nylon | Thin, light, easy to mass produce |
| Polyurethane | Stretches, recovers, fits |
| Underwire | Supports the bust three-dimensionally |
| Molded cups | Stabilizes shape |
| Seamless technology | Less visible under outerwear |
| Sweat-absorbing & quick-drying material | Measures against sweat and stuffiness |
| Cool-touch material | Measures against summer discomfort |
From this point, innerwear ceased to be mere clothing and became a product of textile technology.
Making it thinner.
Making it lighter.
Stretching it.
Allowing it to recover.
Supporting it.
Wicking away sweat.
Making it gentle on the skin.
Making it less visible under clothes.
The functions we take for granted in modern innerwear have been realized through the evolution of materials and technology.
From this era onwards, innerwear became not only "something that creates shape," but also something that reduces discomfort in daily life.
6. From the 1990s Onwards: Innerwear Becomes "Visible"
From the 1990s onwards, the boundary between innerwear and outerwear blurred.
Camisoles, slip dresses, visible bras, underwear with logos.
Items that were previously hidden, like underwear, began to emerge as fashion.
The Kyoto Costume Institute explains that in the late 1990s, underwear became closer to outerwear, with a trend where the distinction between the two almost disappeared.
Here, innerwear changed from something to hide to something to show, something to choose, and something to express oneself with.
Previously, innerwear was assumed to be unseen.
However, from the 1990s onwards, the idea of "it's okay if it shows," "intentionally showing it," and "enjoying it as fashion" became widespread.
This means that innerwear was no longer merely a practical item.
Innerwear became something that shapes the body.
Something that changes one's mood.
Something that expresses one's individuality.
It began to hold such meanings.
7. Modern Day: From Restriction to "Comfort"
The major theme of modern innerwear is quite clear.
It's about not enduring discomfort.
In the past, innerwear was about conforming the body to societal ideals.
However, today, the focus has shifted to the body itself.
For example, modern innerwear has evolved to address the following concerns:
| Modern Concern | Innerwear Evolution |
|---|---|
| Underwire discomfort | Non-wired bras |
| Sweat and stuffiness | Sweat-absorbing & quick-drying / mesh materials |
| Hot in summer | Cool-touch innerwear |
| Shoulder straps digging in | Wide straps |
| Cups gapping | Stretch cups / soft cups |
| Dislike of constriction | Relax bras |
| Bouncing during exercise | Sports bras |
| Showing through clothes | Seamless / molded cups |
In other words, modern innerwear has transformed from a tool for body correction to a tool for solving daily discomforts.
Especially in Japan, values such as comfort, cleanliness, feel, invisibility under clothing, and breathability have been emphasized.
While embracing the Western system of bras and panties, innerwear has evolved to become more everyday and delicate, adapting to Japanese lifestyle culture.
Modern innerwear is a global standard, yet it evolves regionally.
Globally, the basic form of women's innerwear currently follows the Western system.
Bras, panties, slips, girdles, sports bras.
These classifications and basic structures developed from European clothing culture and spread through American mass production and brand culture.
However, modern innerwear is not "European tradition itself."
It incorporates Asian manufacturing technology, the evolution of functional materials, the Japanese sensibility towards comfort and cleanliness, and contemporary diverse perspectives on the body.
Once, innerwear was about conforming the body to clothing.
But now, it's an era where clothing and innerwear conform to the body.
No constriction.
Less stuffiness.
Less pain.
Natural shaping.
Personal choice.
Innerwear has become a hidden presence that supports daily mood and comfort.
Lecien continues to offer innerwear that adapts to the times.
Innerwear has changed its role with the times.
It was once an undershirt to protect clothing, and in some eras, it was used to shape the body to an ideal form.
Today, comfort that accompanies daily life, such as less constriction, feel, breathability, and ease of movement, is sought after.
Women's bodies, lifestyles, and clothing change with the times.
That's why we believe innerwear should not just shape the body, but also make each person's daily life a little more comfortable.
Lecien will continue to propose innerwear that is gentle on the body and accompanies daily life, while facing the changes of the times and the voices of women.
References
- Victoria and Albert Museum "Corsets, crinolines and bustles: fashionable Victorian underwear"
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art "Twentieth-Century Silhouette and Support"
- Kyoto Costume Institute "Fashioning Women’s Underwear"
