Montreal native Moses “Moe” Nadler was the founder and majority owner of the Canadian Lady Corset Company, which developed the iconic push-up underwire brassiere, Wonderbra.
Nadler opened the Canadian Lady Corset Company, a small sewing shop in Montreal, in 1939. Between 1939 and 1955, the lingerie company produced girdles, swimsuits, slips, panties and bras. By the 60s, the entire company had been rebranded “Wonderbra, the company.” And by the mid-60s, it was exporting and licensing the Wonderbra line to Western Europe, Israel, Australia, South Africa and the West Indies.
Israel Pilot, the New Yorker from whom Nadler initially licensed the “Wonder-Bra trademark” and diagonal slash patent, cut the revolutionary bra cup on the bias to give women added comfort and freedom of movement in a time when elastics weren’t available for clothing, due to WWII rationing. The American Wonder-Bra was trademarked in 1955. Nadler subsequently bought the rights, developing and redesigning the brand as Wonderbra in Canada.
The Wonderbra’s development coincided with the Feminist movement. While women were still wearing girdles in the late 50s and early 60s, the sexual revolution caused a seismic shift in women’s fashion. Hemlines rose and highly structured undergarments were rendered obsolete. The Wonderbra – created by Quebec designer Louise Poirier, under Nadler’s direction – was made to fit a confident modern woman’s lifestyle.
The 1963 Dream Lift Model 1300, which is nearly identical to today’s Wonderbra, came to define the company. The plunge push-up bra was one of the best-selling styles in Canada, and in the 90s, it became an international sensation. Wonderbra was already a $27-million business in the 70s; by 1996, the 1300 design had broken the Guinness Book of World Record in sales.
