The collection documents the invention of the Jogbra and includes biographical materials, business records, photographs, promotional, marketing and advertising materials, correspondence and audiovisual materials.
Scope and Contents:
The collection documents the invention of the sports bra primarily through marketing and promotional materials. The collection also documents the Jogbra, Inc. company activities, and includes biographical materials, business records, promotional, marketing and advertising materials, photographs, patent records, and audiovisual materials.
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into six series.
Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1980-2006
Series 2: Business Records, 1979-1999
Subseries 2.1: JBI, Inc., 1979-1996
Subseries 2.2: Champion Jogbra, 1988-1999
Series 3: Photographs, 1978-2008
Series 4: Promotional and Marketing Materials, 1979-2000
Series 5: Patent Records, 1978-2003
Series 6: Audiovisual Materials, 1993
Biographical / Historical:
Lisa Lindahl was frustrated by the inadequacy of her everyday bra when she began jogging in the early 1970s. When her sister, Victoria Woodrow began jogging she met with the same issues and called Lisa to ask what she did about it. Commiserating over their problems, Victoria asked, "What do you do about all the breast movement? It's so uncomfortable." And Lisa said, "I don't know. It really is uncomfortable." Victoria said, "Why isn't there a jock strap for women?" Lisa laughed back and said, "Yeah, same idea, different part of the anatomy. Wouldn't that be great?" The sisters hung up laughing and Lisa sat down and opened up a spiral notebook to record her thoughts and design criteria for this "jock bra." "Here's a bra made just for jogging. What would it do?" And Lindahl wrote, "Okay, the straps would not fall off my shoulders and there wouldn't be any hardware to dig in and it would be comfortable and maybe even breathable, and it would stop my breasts from bouncing."
Lindahl engaged her childhood friend Polly Palmer Smith in her effort to solve the bra problem. They found no suitable products in retail stores, but were inspired by Lisa's husband, Al Lindahl, who took a jock strap and pulled it over his head and down over his chest and said, "Hey ladies, here's your jock bra." Lisa said, "I had to get into the act, so I jumped up and said, "Let me try it. Let me try." And I pulled his jock strap up and over my head and pulled the pouch over my breast and the waistband of the jockstrap went around my rib and I kind of jumped up on bed and I said, "Polly, Polly, look at this, look at this." They went to multiple stores and inquired but could not find a bra that fit their needs--a bra that kept the breasts pressed flat against the chest and eliminated motion. They also wanted something without seams and hooks, wire or other metal elements. Lindahl, along with Polly Palmer Smith, a childhood friend from New Jersey, sewed a pair of jockstraps together creating a few prototypes.
Smith introduced Lindahl to Hinda Schreiber, a fellow costume designer and classmate at New York University. Schreiber worked as an assistant to Smith at the Champlain Shakespeare Festival held at the University of Vermont in the summer of 1977. With interest in and enthusiasm for the idea of creating more jogbras, Schreiber joined Lindahl and Smith. They called their product the "jockbra" but later changed it to "Jogbra," figuring that the word "jock" might be a turn-off for some women. On November 20, 1979, US Patent 4,174,717 for an athletic brassiere was issued to the three co-inventors. Subsequent US patents include:
Eugenie Z. Lindahl, Hinda S. Schreiber, and Polly P. Smith, Des. 259,370 for a brassiere, 1981; and US 4,311,150 for an athletic brassiere, 1982.
Eugenie Z. Lindahl and Hinda Schreiber, Des. 260,445 for an athletic shirt, 1981 and Des. 301,518 for a brassiere, 1989.
LaJean Lawson and Hinda Miller, US 6,083,080 for a protective brassiere with local energy absorption, 2000.
Lesli R. Bell and Eugenie Z. Lindahl, US 6,860,789 for a compression garment, 2005.
Lindahl started the company Jogbra, Inc. in 1977 and then re-named it SLS, Inc. (for Smith, Lindahl, Schreiber) in early 1978. As President of the company, Lindahl issued equal shares to herself, Smith and Schreiber. The name changed again to Jogbra Inc., for a brief time, before finally becoming JBI, Inc. in the early 1980s. Marketing their new product (with start-up capital lent by Miller's father, Bruce L. Schreiber) was a challenge. According to Lindahl, buyers for sporting goods stores were "squeamish" about displaying bras, which did not look like lingerie, but an athletic garment. Stores that did feature the jogbra were pleased by how well it sold. Miller placed strong emphasis on the point of purchase advertising and packaging. The jogbra line of products expanded to include a women's and men's sport brief, the Thermobra and Thermobrief. Soon, a number of other manufacturers, including Vanity Fair, Olga, and Warner, were entering the sports bra market.
JBI, Inc. was bought by Playtex Apparel, Inc. in 1990 and Playtex Apparel sold it to the Sara Lee Corporation in 1991. Throughout these transitions, Schreiber served as began as Vice-President and, in 1983, became President of the then JBI, Inc. when Lindahl became CEO and Chair of their Advisory Board of Directors. Smith was never active in the company and had become a minority shareholder. When JBI, Inc. was sold to Playtex Apparel, Miller and Lindahl became co-presidents of the new Jogbra Division until Lindahl left the company in 1991. Miller (née Schreiber) continued to serve as president and became CEO of the Champion Jogbra Division of Sara Lee in 1994. Miller left the company in 1997 to pursue other interests.
Lisa Z. Lindahl (November 23, 1948-) was born Eugénie Louise Zobian in Montclair, New Jersey to Florence and Ernest Zobian. The Zobians had four children, Ernest Jr., Mark, Victoria, and Eugénie, known as "Lisa." Lindahl graduated from Vernon Court Junior College in Newport, Rhode Island (1968), the Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School (1969), and later graduated from the University of Vermont with a bachelor's degree in education [1977]. She received a master's degree in culture and spirituality from Holy Names University in California in 2007. In 1970, Lindahl married Alfred Lindahl and divorced in 1978. Lindahl was diagnosed with epilepsy at age four and would later serve as Senior Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Epilepsy Foundation from 1991 to 2000 where, as Chair of the Women and Epilepsy Task Force she brought legitimacy to the gender differences in epilepsy and epilepsy treatments. In 2001, Lindahl co-founded, with Dr. Lesli Bell, the Lightning2 Company (dba Bellisse) to design and market their patented Compressure Comfort Bra, a compression garment for women suffering from lymphedema. Lindahl is the author of two books: Beauty As Action, The Way of True Beauty and How Its Practice Can Change Our World (2017) and Unleash the Girls, The Untold Story of the Invention of the Sports Bra and How It Changed the World (And Me), (2019). She continues to write and pursue other artistic interests.
Hinda Schreiber Miller (April 18, 1950-) was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She graduated from the Parsons School of Design (B.F.A., 1972) and from New York University (M.F.A., 1976). A costume designer by training, Miller taught costume design at the University of South Carolina. Miller later became a Vermont state senator (2002-2013) representing the Chittenden District which includes all of Chittenden County. Miller ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Burlington, Vermont in 2006. She is presently president of DeForest Concepts, a consulting firm specializing in small business and the promotion of women entrepreneurs. Miller is married to Dr. Joel Miller and has two children.
Polly Palmer Smith (November 10, 1949-) was raised in Montclair, New Jersey. She graduated from the Moore College of Art & Design with a (B.F.A., 1971) and New York University (M.F.A., 1975). She joined the Jim Henson Company in 1978 where she worked as a costume designer for twenty-five years. Smith worked on films such as the Dark Crystal, The Muppets Take Manhattan, and Labyrinth. Some of her television work includes Fraggle Rock and Muppet Treasure Island. Smith received Emmy nominations for her designs for The Jim Henson Hour (1988) and Muppets Tonight (1996) and she received seven Emmy awards for her designs on Sesame Street. Smith also co-designed costumes for the television series The StoryTeller (1986-1988) which won a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award for Best Costumes in 1989.
Historical:
The introduction of the sports bra made greater sports participation possible for many American women. Many women were reluctant to engage in sports such as running, basketball, and tennis because of the embarrassment and discomfort associated with excessive breast motion. The passage of Title IX (1972) and James Fixx's popular 1977 book, The Complete Book of Running, contributed to the increased popularity of sports for women. This increase in women's sports exposed the inadequacies of conventional brassieres for athletic use: weight shifts from bouncing caused straps on ordinary brassieres to slip around or off the shoulder; excessive motion caused friction and chafed skin; and hooks or other metallic elements tended to poke into the skin; and excessive bouncing caused soreness.
Related Materials:
Materials in the Division of Cultural and Community Life
Prototypes and finished Jogbras and Olympic pins. See accession: 2013.0322.
Materials at Other Organizations
Vermont Historical Society
Champion jogbra [publicity folder], 1988-2004
Summary: This packet of information contains photocopies and reprints of articles and advertisements from various publications, and press releases, published or released between 1988-2004, about the creation and development of the women's sports bra, Jogbra, by its inventors Hinda Miller and Lisa Lindahl.
Original jogbra
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Jogbra Brassiere, 1979. See Accession: 1980.51.
Separated Materials:
The Division of Culture and the Arts (now Division of Cultural and Community Life), National Museum of American History, holds JogBra-related artifacts. See accession 2013.0322.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Hinda Miller in 2013.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Social Security numbers are present and numbers have been rendered unreadable and redacted. Researchers may use the photocopies in the collection. The remainder of the collection has no restrictions.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Social Security numbers are present and numbers have been rendered unreadable and redacted. Researchers may use the photocopies in the collection. The remainder of the collection has no restrictions.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Jogbra, Inc. Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
The collection documents the creation and marketing of the Compressure Comfort Bra, a bra designed to alleviate pain for women who have had breast cancer. The bra was developed in 2000 by Lisa Lindahl with physical therapist, Lesli Bell.
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists of newspaper and magazine articles, a DVD, and promotional and marketing materials relating to a compressure comfort bra Lindahl designed for use by patients with edema following breast cancer surgery.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into one series.
Biographical / Historical:
In 1977 Lisa Lindahl, with Hinda Miller and Polly Palmer Smith, created the first sportsbra, called the Jogbra. In 2000, Lindhal partnered with Lesli Bell, a physical therapist looking to create a garment for women suffering from edema following breast cancer surgery. The two developed the Compressure Comfort Bra and founded the company Bellisse to sell their product.
Materials in the Archives Center:
Maidenform Collection (AC0585)
Jogbra, Inc. Records (AC1315)
Division of Medicine and Science Disability Reference Collection (AC1319)
Provenance:
Donated to the Archives Center in 2015 by Lisa Lindahl.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Interview with Remo Belli, jazz drummer who developed and marketed the first successful synthetic drumheads and founded the Remo company.
Interview with Arthur Ganson, inventor, kinetic sculptor and musician.
Audiovisual Records, 1995-2014 (SIA Acc. 16-092)
Interview with Gary Fisher, inventor of the modern mountain bike.
Lemelson Center, Program/Project Records, 2006-2015 (SIA Acc. 16-043)
Interview with Doreen Lorenzo, former president of Quirky.
Interview with Corinna E. Lathan, co-Founder of AnthroTronix, Inc., a biomedical research and development company with a focus on assistive technologies.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Access and use of audiovisual materials available in the Archives Center reading room or by requesting copies of audiovisual materials at RightsReproductions@si.edu.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Inventors Oral History Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Sponsor:
Funding for the Marilyn Hamilton, Lisa Lindahl, Hinda Miller, Tahira N. Reid, and Polly Smith interviews was provided by a Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee grant.
Lisa Lindahl was diagnosed with epilepsy when she was three. An active leader and spokesperson for the Epilepsy Foundation of America and the Epilepsy Foundation of Vermont, Lindahl encouraged research that led to improving the understanding and care of women who live with epilepsy.
In the late 1970s Lindahl co-designed and co-invented with Hinda Miller and Polly Palmer Smith the first sports bra, "Jogbra." She then co-founded and co-ran with Hinda Miller a successful business, JBI, Inc., that sold the garment. The company was bought in 1990 by Playtex.
The series consists primarily of speeches Lindahl deleivered at various conferences, newspaper clippings about Lisa Lindahl, and audio and video materials related to speeches, workshops, and conferences Lindahl attended and particpated inas a featured speaker. Also included is Epilepsy Foundation promotional material about the Women and Epilepsy Initiative and DVDs of interviews with Lindahl.
Series Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Series Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
The Business Records are divided into two subseries: Subseries 2.1: JBI, Inc., 1979-1996 and Subseries 2.2: Champion Jogbra, 1988-1999. The materials document the transition of a small, privately-owned company, Jogbra, Inc., (renamed JBI, Inc.) to its purchase by Playtex Apparel, Inc. and subsequent purchase by the Sara Lee Corporation. Throughout these corporate transitions, Miller continued to serve as president and became CEO of the Champion Jogbra Division of Sara Lee in 1994.
The JBI, Inc. materials consist of position descriptions for employees, correspondence, business plans and appraisals, strategy-related documents, sales and accounting information, agreements, and transition documents for Playtex Apparel, Inc. Many of the documents throughout this subseries are annotated by Miller.
The employee materials consist of personnel policies, retirement plans, profit sharing, and stock options for employees at Playtex, Inc. The position descriptions are for Vice President for Sales and Senior Vice President of Sales. These documents provide good insight into the duties and responsibilities for senior management at a small company.
The JBI Executive Team Building materials reflect a 1989 assessment of Miller's managerial style. The assessment, conducted by Human Factors Advance Technology Group, provides a comparative analysis and key assessment findings(Co-Worker Feedback Report and Management Skills Report) based on a self-assessment by Miller and her co-workers.
The JBI Business Appraisal of 1986 details the fair market value of the company and contains several useful "appendices" about the company's financial health. The agreement and purchase of JBI by Playtex as well Sara Lee's acquisition of Playtex is well documented here. The JBI Representative/Dealer Book provides a good overview of the company and is a "how to" for retailers selling the JBI product line. Books include sales data, forms, procedures, advertising samples, and fabric swatches. Similar information can be found in the JBI, Inc. Representative Manual of 1993. Most of the financial data is in the form of spreadsheets that provide actual and projected sales data. The annual operating plans provide key information about the company including mission statements, objectives, strategies, marketing, selling, and financial statements. For example, the annual operating plan for 1993-1994 also includes media-related plans on how best to market the product line.
The Champion Jogbra materials contain business and annual operating plans (budgets), marketing strategies, presentation documents, financial materials (sales data), proposals, and product literature, such as catalogs. Many of the documents are heavily annotated by Miller. One proposal of note is that which targets female teens. In 1996, Champion Jogbra identified young females, ages 12-15, as an emerging market for sports bras and other sports wear. The report, conducted by the Zandhl group provided Champion with the marketing guidelines to develop a "teen" strategy for product positioning. Other studies include a 1997 website evaluation to establish priorities. Additional employee performance-related materials can be found in the Champion Jogbra performance reviews for fiscal 1996. These documents outline the corporate executive performance review, review instruction packet, and forms for the employee to complete.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Social Security numbers are present and numbers have been rendered unreadable and redacted. Researchers may use the photocopies in the collection. The remainder of the collection has no restrictions.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Jogbra, Inc. Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
The materials in this series consist of press releases, product literature, advertisements, marketing plans, research studies, packaging and newspaper and magazine articles about Jogbra, JBI, Inc., and Hinda Miller and Lisa Lindahl. The "History Book," 1978-1985, represents a chronological overview of Jobgra, Inc. and later, JBI, Inc. promotional materials. Many of the photographs, packaging, advertisements and product literature assembled in the History Book can also be found elsewhere in the collection. Additional product literature includes the motion control requirements (MCR) which refers to the amount of support required to control breast motion (bounce). This guide, in the form of a wheel, provides a quick assessment of the best sports bra and size for a customer based on control levels of high, medium and low. The research studies undertaken by JBI, Inc. include a 1991 telephone survey of customer attitudes and opinions about sports bras. Information about an organization called the Mother's Brain Trust, a consulting firm that examines and studies working mothers broadly, is also found here. Notes and an eleven-page questionnaire targeting working mothers is included. Presumably JBI was working with this group to develop a questionnaire specific to the Jogbra.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Social Security numbers are present and numbers have been rendered unreadable and redacted. Researchers may use the photocopies in the collection. The remainder of the collection has no restrictions.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Jogbra, Inc. Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
The patent records consist of patents, correspondence, agreements, notes, and articles about Miller's involvement with the "hard cup project" from 1987 to 2000. Miller holds six United States Patents: Athletic brassiere (US 4,174,717); Brassiere, (US D259370); Athletic shirt (US D260,445); Athletic brassiere, US (4,311,150); Brassiere (US D301,518); and Protective brassiere with local energy absorption (US 6,083,080).
Miller and LaJean Lawson, a Portland businesswoman and Oregon State University adjunct professor in exercise science, created a hard cup brassierre designed to reduce the risk of injury to the breasts (US 6,083,080). Lawson also holds a patent for a hard cup brassiere (US 5,022,887) which she assigned to JBI, Inc. in 1990 and later Playtex Apparel, Inc., in 1991. Lawson conducted sports bra research at Oregon State University's biomechanics lab and worked with Champion Jogbra to test and improve sports bra designs.
Some of the correspondence relates to the licensing and manufacturing of hard cup brassieres (US 4,607,640) belonging to LeRoy McCusker and Marc S. Weinberg (US 4,566,458). Miller and Lawson did not license McCusker or Weinberg's patents and ultimately pursued their own work and patent. The correspondence includes letters and memoranda exchanged with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the law firm of Browdy and Neimark, and with physicians who were asked to test products. Additional documents include agreements regarding ownership of inventions invoices for legal services, projected budgets, a marketing plan, testing notes by Lawson, and formation of the JBI Health Advisory Board comprised of sports medicine and health experts.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Social Security numbers are present and numbers have been rendered unreadable and redacted. Researchers may use the photocopies in the collection. The remainder of the collection has no restrictions.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Jogbra, Inc. Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Social Security numbers are present and numbers have been rendered unreadable and redacted. Researchers may use the photocopies in the collection. The remainder of the collection has no restrictions.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Jogbra, Inc. Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Social Security numbers are present and numbers have been rendered unreadable and redacted. Researchers may use the photocopies in the collection. The remainder of the collection has no restrictions.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Jogbra, Inc. Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Social Security numbers are present and numbers have been rendered unreadable and redacted. Researchers may use the photocopies in the collection. The remainder of the collection has no restrictions.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Jogbra, Inc. Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Social Security numbers are present and numbers have been rendered unreadable and redacted. Researchers may use the photocopies in the collection. The remainder of the collection has no restrictions.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Jogbra, Inc. Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Social Security numbers are present and numbers have been rendered unreadable and redacted. Researchers may use the photocopies in the collection. The remainder of the collection has no restrictions.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Jogbra, Inc. Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Social Security numbers are present and numbers have been rendered unreadable and redacted. Researchers may use the photocopies in the collection. The remainder of the collection has no restrictions.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Jogbra, Inc. Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
