Date: c.1950s
Origin: Unknown, likely Great Britain
Brand: Triumph
This care booklet from Triumph shows that care instructions for synthetic undergarments were quite different to those that women would have been used to in the early twentieth century. There was now no need for boil washing, intensive scrubbing or hours of drying time to keep your undergarments pristine. In order to help consumers understand the care requirements of the new fabrics, and reduce requests for refunds, manufacturers would include detailed care information on packaging or swing tags.
The booklet is written in the first person and so anthropomorphism of the bra occurs, making the reader feel like this is a person begging to be taken care of: ‘PLEASE don’t scrub me, I hate it.’ The leaflet was clearly intended to be included with several different types of bra as ironing instructions for both rayon and Perlon (a type of nylon) are included, along with a list of European locations where Triumph manufacture. The back of the booklet features illustrated instructions on how to put your bra on to achieve the best fit.
From the collection of The Underpinnings Museum
