US Bra Sales Statistics

US Bra Sales Statistics, 1960 - 1982

Roger K

Table of Contents

Discussion of the Bra Sales Table

Table: Annual US Bra Sales in Thousands

Discussion of Bandeau Bra Sales Trends

1. Strapless bras sales declined sharply in the sixties

2. Padded bra sales rose sharply (117%) in the sixties, then reversed

3. Sales all bras declined during 1975, a probable anomaly

Discussion of Longline Bra Sales Trends

1. Longline sales declined by 2/3 from 1967 through 1977

Discussion of the Bra Sales Table

On the next page is a table of sales figures for various categories of bras. Unfortunately, the Census Bureau wasn’t farsighted enough to include the category “underwired,” which would have been of most interest to us historians.

Column Headings

1. Year.

2. Regular (in other words, unpadded bras with straps).

3. Padded, including contour-lined.

4. Strapless or convertible.

5. Total of Bandeaus (the non-longline items above, 2–4).

6. Longlines, defined as “with band 3 inches or more, excluding bra-lettes [torsolettes, or Merry Widows].” (The Census Bureau retained the term (dating from before WWI of “brassiere” for longlines, and also the old term “bandeau” for non-longline bras. This parallels the way “girdle” used to mean only “open girdle” or “straight girdle,” with “panty-girdle” having to spell out its deviation from the norm.)

7. Total of All bra-types. This figure differs from the Census Bureau’s total, because I have categorized “bra-lettes” (torsolettes, or Merry Widows) as shapewear (since their main purpose was to squeeze the waist) and placed them in the girdle category. See my other article.

8. Longline sales as a % of Total bra sales.

	Regular	Padded	Strapless	TOTAL: Bandeau	*Longlines*	TOTAL: All	Longlines as % of Total
1960	130,704	30,516	13,848	175,068	18,456	193,524	9.5
1961	138,216	33,648	13,632	185,496	17,280	202,776	9.0
1962	143,652	35,484	12,876	192,012	17,088	209,100	8.2
1963	142,380	35,412	7,824	213,204	17,712	230,916	7.7
1964	155,904	42,924	7,080	205,908	17,196	223,104	7.7
1965	158,412	48,864	6,756	214,032	17,724	231,756	7.7
1966	164,652	57,120	5,448	227,220	18,216	245,436	7.4
1967	165,180	61,476	5,232	231,888	16,404	248,292	6.6
1968	167,100	66,324	5,556	238,980	16,260	255,240	6.4
1969	166,992	63,168	4,608	234,768	15,744	250,512	6.3
1970	158,436	51,276	4,104	213,816	14,016	227,832	6.2
1971	155,784	55,368	3,696	214,848	14,076	228,924	6.1
1972	158,292	54,360	4,260	216,912	14,952	231,864	6.4
1973	157,104	51,720	5,748	214,572	12,720	227,292	5.6
1974	143,256	51,348	5,340	199,944	8,556	208,500	4.1
1975	126,828	43,884	4,752	175,464	8,076	183,540	4.4
1976	137,352	51,456	6,432	195,240	7,488	202,728	3.7
1977	136,056	53,544	9,252	198,852	6,192	205,044	3.0
1978	130,248	53,736	11,976	195,960	6,108	202,068	3.0
1979	141,816	51,228	11,424	204,468	6,804	211,272	3.2
1980	133,464	58,284	12,648	204,396	7,308	211,704	3.5
1981	135,876	55,596	12,552	204,024	6,948	210,972	3.3
1982	131,148	51,096	11,520	193,764	6,120	199,884	3.1

Table: Annual US Bra Sales in Thousands

Discussion of Bandeau Bra Sales Trends

1. Strapless bras sales declined sharply in the 60's

1970 sales were only 30% of those of 1960. This presumably indicated a decline in interest in dressing up for special occasions where formal strapless gowns were worn, like proms and so forth, and an increasing focus on everyday clothing. The same trend away from the centrality of formal affairs is indicated by the even sharper decline in the sales of torsolettes (Merry Widows)—1970 sales were only 22% of those of 1960.

2. Padded bra sales rose sharply (117%) in the 60's, then reversed

This compares to a rise of only 28% for non-padded bras. This was part of a strong trend toward the acceptance of more artificiality in everyday dress. (E.g., makeup was more often worn as an everyday item, and much more often worn by schoolgirls. Most schoolgirls got their ears pierced and therefore regularly wore earrings, which they hadn’t done in the 50s. Etc.) Following 1968 this trend was reversed by a new trend toward naturalness and authenticity: by 1974 padded sales had fallen 23%, compared to a decline of 14% in non-padded bras.

3. Sales of all bras declined in 1975, a probable anomaly

Sales of all categories of bras fell sharply in 1975, but three of those categories rebounded just as sharply to their previous levels in 1976. I suspect there was some anomaly in the data collection process—e.g., one or more companies may have gone bankrupt or been taken over and had failed to report their sales at the end of the year. So I would assume figures for the three categories that rebounded hadn’t actually declined.

Since bankruptcies were ongoing throughout the 70s, the likely failure of many of these firms to report their sales to the Census Bureau in the first quarter of the next year may well have artificially depressed sales figures for several years. So foundation sales probably declined a little less sharply in the 70s than they are thought to.

Discussion of Longline Bra Sales Trends

Longline bra sales declined by ⅔ from 1967 through 1977

Longlines were usually sold for use in conjunction with high-waist girdles worn by older women. (They concealed the ridge of the girdle and the bulge above it.) Longlines sales held steady through 1966—but that meant their share of the bra market declined, because overall bra sales were rising. This indirectly supports the view that the increase in girdle sales in that period was not due to women who regularly wore girdles adding to their girdle wardrobes as a result of rising prosperity, but rather to younger women wearing girdles more often, and starting at a younger age.

Sales of regular bras over the next nine years, from 1966 to 1975, declined by about 25%, but sales of longlines fell more than twice as sharply, by 55%. This was only a bit more than the roughly 50% rate of decline in sales of girdles and other foundations during those same years. Because longlines were a girdle accessory and were primarily worn by women over 35, this suggests that it was primarily girdles that were being “burned” during this period, not bras.

The stabilization of longline sales at the six million level after 1978 was probably due to the arrival of waist-length “posture bras.” (It’s a pity the Census Bureau figures didn’t split them out, because they aren’t really figure-forming items, or “foundations.”)