In this Boob Positivity blog post, we want to talk about Gossard Lingerie...
A little bit of history...
1901 - The brand is founded in Chicago by Henry Williamson Gossard, textile representative. Inspired by the corset worn by French actress Sarah Bernhardt.
1922 - To conquer the world, Gossard opened an office in London.
1930 - Gossard leaves the prohibition of America to become a British lingerie brand that marries the tradition and innovation of corsetry.
1940 - Gossard takes part in the war effort to the English army service. The Gossard factory produces parachutes and provides the Navy with bras for the women.
1950 - Gossard introduces new materials including synthetic fabrics. Bras and girdles are made from lightweight nylon.
1960 - The launch of the padded Wonderbra to glamourise necklines.
1970 - Gossard Glossies is developed with a natural second skin feel, with huge success in a time of sexual revolution and women's liberation.
1980 - The first co-ordinated Gossard lingerie collection is created for the Ritz.
1994 - PlayTex buys Wonderbra and Gossard launches Ultrabra Superboost.
2005 - Gossard offers the Supersmooth collection where the bras are laser welded to produce a second skin feeling.
2012 - Gossard return to France where the inventor found his inspiration, drawing from the centenary embroidery, inspired by previous models to create new ones.
We talk to Elise Recour from Gossard to get some gossip on the popular lingerie brand.
Hiya, tell us a little bit about Gossard Lingerie.
Gossard has such a long history with more than 118 years of amazing lingerie pieces in which I have contributed for a bit more than a decade...Gossard is a UK-based lingerie brand that is renowned for its heritage and style. Gossard is celebrated for producing beautiful lingerie that naturally slides from everyday-wear to special occasion. Through captivating and eye-catching designs, Gossard aims to make women everywhere feel glamorous, sensual and confident.
With its finger on the pulse of fashion, Gossard delivers creativity and innovation, while offering the perfect balance between fundamental style, fit and luxury.
To give you a bit of history, Gossard was established in 1901 by Henry Williamson Gossard, inspired by a theatre performance by the actress Sarah Bernhardt during a trip to Paris. He was particularly fascinated by the corset she was wearing, leading him to launch Fashion in the United States. Decades of innovation have followed remaining true to his original vision, providing glamorous and sensual lingerie using the latest innovation fabrics ensuring the ultimate comfort and fit.
How long have you been working with Gossard?
I have been working a bit more than 10 years overlooking different areas such as marketing, design and helping on the export development when needed. The brand has been going from strength to strength with a real growth on key ranges and a strong uplift in sales on export.
Our sales in the UK have always been stronger online and there are a lot of opportunities still which we are working on to give the brand a real international feel.
What's Gossard bestselling lingerie range?
The Super Boost lace range has always been a bestseller as it offers such an amazing fit from A to G cups creating the perfect rounded apple shape with a beautiful plunging uplift. We have probably launched all possible colours in that range to please our customers who are very loyal to that specific fit.
The Glossies range (plain and lace) have been the really 'hit' as it is encapsulating what all younger women crave for: lightness, sexy with that sparkly see-through fabric, support (goes up to a G cup), invisibility and colours. The sales have exploded since 2016 on this range, which lead to creating a range stretch with Glossies Lace. We are also looking to offer more shapes like a very light padded hi-apex bra ready to launch early next year.
Finally, the new range Encore is gaining momentum offering a bold yet contemporary lace for the perfect day to night combination.
What's your bestselling bra size?
We do sell the regular sizes very well, as we provide that amazing lift and push which most women want, but we are also having a very strong sell through on our DD to G range, as we offer a level of sophistication and fashion which could be difficult to find at reasonable prices. We take up to a year to make sure that our bras fit perfectly on those sizes and we are proving right to take that fit time, as our customers tend to be very loyal.
Have the lingerie industry changed in response to body positivity?
We believe it has and we have introduced a fuller figure model who is so beautiful and glamorous. The market feedback has been amazing which encouraged us to look at different types of models. More women could relate to different bodies and beauty archetypes. Our tagline "Inhale confidence, exhale glamour" embodies the same message that brands should only help you feeling yourself and at your best, boosting your confidence.
We love to celebrate a diverse approach to bodies on our social media and are open to do more collaborations. We have worked for a number of years with Georgia Gibbs who has been doing an amazing job promoting body positivity through anybody > Instagram Page. We love Georgia being that ambassador as she reflects the values that the brand stands for.
What is Gossard doing to promote boob positivity?
Social media is really the best channel to be able to promote that boob positivity and get a better awareness.
What piece of advice would you give to women reading this?
Be your best friend and build that confidence which will make you shine or...try Gossard to help you boost that little layer of confidence :)
Competition
As part of our Boob Positivity campaign, Knicker Locker are teaming up with Gossard Lingerie and Braza to launch a special social media giveaway!
We are asking all our fellow boob lovers to post a picture of themselves (it could be in a bra, but doesn't have to be!) with the hashtag #boobpositivity, tag @gossard and @knickerlocker and tell us one thing you love about your boobs, in either a Twitter or Instagram post to be in a chance to WIN an amazing lingerie prize.
This fantastic prizes includes a 375ml bottle of Soak Wash, a laundry bag, Walsh tape, a low down strap, a pair of our bestselling Invisilifts AND a gorgeous Gossard lingerie set!
The competition will run from Wednesday 1st January until Friday 31st January 2020, where the winner will be announced on Monday 3rd February on social media.
