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is a manufacturer of women's
lingerie Lingerie (, , ) is a category of primarily women's clothing including undergarments (mainly brassieres), sleepwear, and lightweight robes. The choice of the word is often motivated by an intention to imply that the garments are alluring, fash ...
and
underwear Undergarments, underclothing, or underwear are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer garments from being soiled o ...
, founded in 1949 in
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
by
Koichi Tsukamoto was a Japanese businessman, the founder of Wacoal, and the first President of Nippon Kaigi (1997–1998). He was from the former town of Gokashō, now part of Higashiōmi, in Shiga Prefecture. He enlisted in the Imperial Japanese Army in 1940 an ...
. The company has divisions in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
and
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, and manufactures the brands Wacoal, b.tempt'd, Elomi, Eveden, Fantasie, Freya, Lively, and Goddess.


Company history

In 1964, Wacoal established the Human Science Research Center to conduct
scientific research The scientific method is an empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century (with notable practitioners in previous centuries; see the article history of scientific m ...
on women's beauty, health, and bodies for product development. In 1985, Wacoal launched in
America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. To encourage potential customers to purchase the new brand despite the higher prices than its competitors, Wacoal's fit experts partnered with sales associates in
department stores A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic appea ...
across the country to educate consumers about the fit and quality of Wacoal products. Wacoal was named the best-selling bra in American department stores in 2005. In 2009, Wacoal launched b.tempt'd, an intimate apparel brand aimed toward younger consumers. In 2012, Wacoal acquired the Eveden Group, a UK-based lingerie manufacturer founded in 1920, bringing the full-figure brands Freya, Elomi, Fantasie, and Goddess under its corporate umbrella.


Brand portfolio

* Wacoal, flagship brand, launched in 1949 in Japan and 1985 in the United States * b.tempt'd, junior brand (sizes 30AA–38E), launched in 2009 worldwide * Elomi, launched 2008 in the UK by Eveden Group, full-figure bras and swimwear (34 bands and up, D through K cup) * Eveden, launched 1920 in the UK * Fantasie, full-figure bras and swimwear, formerly produced by Eveden Group * Freya, launched 1998 in the UK by Eveden Group, large-bust bras and swimwear up to K cup and sports bras and swimwear up to H cup * Goddess, launched in the US and acquired in 2002 by Eveden Group, full-figure bras and swimwear


Product manufacturing

Wacoal products are manufactured almost entirely by hand. Much of the production occurs at Wacoal
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...
, a manufacturing location established in 1997.


Philanthropic efforts

Wacoal launched a bra in 1999 known as the Awareness Bra, which features a pink ribbon on each band to remind women to be conscious of their breast health. In 2001, the Fit for the Cure campaign was launched to raise funds for
breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or ...
awareness and research. Wacoal donates to Susan G. Komen for every woman who participates in a complimentary fitting during Fit for the Cure.


References


External links

*
Wacoal America

Wacoal Europe (Eveden, Fantasie, Freya, Goddess)
{{Authority control Clothing companies established in 1949 Retail companies established in 1949 Japanese brands Lingerie brands Companies based in Kyoto Japanese companies established in 1949 Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Clothing brands of Japan