tirumph lingerie flare magazine by shawna cohen

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FASHION

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LINGERIE BY NUMBERS 59%

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60 FLARE APRIL 2011

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LONG BEFORE DESIGNERS such as John Galliano and Jean Paul Gaultier sent models strutting down the runway in bustiers and garter belts, or before Lady Gaga and Madonna were prancing around onstage in their skivvies, lingerie had captured our bodies and imaginations. From stifling 1880s corsetry to the bra as symbol of 1970s female oppression, our undergarments have always been an indicator of social status and values. Celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, Triumph has witnessed—and even helped shape—many of those underwear trends. As one of the world’s leading lingerie companies, Triumph has spent the past 12 decades helping us get “the look.� Launched in a Heubach, Germany, barn in 1886, the corsetry manufacturer hosted stylish lingerie fashion shows long before they became the calling card for Victoria’s Secret. Years later, Triumph also dared to feature models wearing undergarments on their bare skin—as opposed to over leotards— in its 1950s-era shows. It was a risky move in the June Cleaver-obsessed, buttoned-up time in which women were just beginning to embrace bullet bras, high-waisted panties and silk slips. (Finally, freedom from Victorian-style corsets!) By the time women’s libbers changed the rules of the game in the ’70s, Triumph’s fashion shows were spectacles of more than 20 models and dancers appearing in front of tens of thousands as they travelled through Europe and Asia. While these days we’re used to over-the-top runway performances (for Chanel’s Spring ’11 show, for instance, Karl Lagerfeld arranged an 80-piece orchestra and an ornamental garden filled with marble fountains), that wasn’t always the case— especially in the world of intimates. It’s this legacy and liberating approach >

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Shawna Cohen

FASHION CONCEPT CUPS

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This spring, Triumph’s collection, as with lingerie in general, is all about shapewear: curve-enhancing pieces that emphasize—and flatter—a woman’s body. “It’s the hidden layer that makes everything look amazing,� says Vilislava Petrova, trends editor at Worth Global Style Network, an online trend analysis and research service. She notes that we are once again appreciating, and playing up, our natural curves in a similar way to what we saw in the ’50s and ’60s. (Thank you, Mad Men.) Petrova thinks that’s due in part

to more voluptuous celebs such as Christina Hendricks, and a younger generation of female bloggers who represent “normal girls.â€? “Ten years ago, it used to be the beautiful, girlnext-door type [who was considered sexy]—slim and tall. Now we’re seeing BeyoncĂŠ and all of these beautiful women who have bigger bodies, bigger hips, and we’re more accepting of something that we might not be used to,â€? she says of how we’re being exposed to different (read: attainable) beauty standards and embracing our natural curves. “It’s driving women to celebrate their bodies‌ They’re much more open to spending money and treating themselves.â€? It’s a shift we’re witnessing around the globe. Two years ago, Triumph conducted a study looking at women’s attitudes toward lingerie— as well as their buying habits—in the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Japan, China and Taiwan. Their research shows that a large percentage of women—a whopping 60 percent in China, for instance—consider a bra to be a fashion statement (rather than purely functional), and that this group of “style-drivenâ€? consumers is highly satisfied with their overall appearance (including bust size and shape). While in general, 49 percent of respondents were satisfied with their overall appearance, a further 18 percent were very satisfied and 5 percent were extremely satisfied. Only 31 percent in Japan were satisfied, however, compared with 57 percent in France. Germany led the “very satisfiedâ€? pack with 24 percent. While the study did not include North American attitudes, Flare.com conducted its own survey and discovered that 51 percent of respondents are moderately satisfied

TRIUMPH CHALLENGE

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62 FLARE APRIL 2011

with their overall appearance and 31 percent are very satisfied. In short, most of us seem to be happy with the way we look. It’s a sentiment that Triumph International Canada Inc. president Elizabeth Beemer sees as well. “There’s less conformity today [than] there was in years gone by,� she says. Choice has trumped all trends, meaning that women—many of us CEOs with PhDs under our (garter) belts—can now choose what we want to wear based on our body types and how a garment makes us feel rather than what we’re supposed to be wearing. “[Today’s woman is] in control of everything, including her appeal,� says Petrova. Still, there is something about lingerie that elicits passion beyond its obvious sexual allure. Sure, it’s been our secret weapon in the bedroom throughout history, but today it’s about so much more than that. We can’t underestimate its power. Recently, Lady Gaga demanded that all her underwear be pure silk in order to boost her creativity—a detail that made headlines around the globe. Are we surprised? No. Because beyond society’s obsession with celebrity, Gaga knows what women everywhere are discovering: The right little number can do wonders for our bodies, our identities, our confidence—and how we carry ourselves in this world. N

Win a trip to Berlin to see the Triumph Inspiration Award. Enter at flare.com/triumphberlin

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to lingerie that has allowed Triumph to hold its own against relative newcomers like Agent Provocateur and Victoria’s Secret, which launched in Canada in 2010. Over the years, the company has grown from a sixperson operation to a multinational corporation with more than 30,000 employees over six continents. (In Canada, the line is sold at national retailers including the Bay and select lingerie boutiques.)

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FASHION

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