Gossard

Gossard built more than a century of know-how into cleavage and shaping, so if you want lingerie with a genuine engineering heritage behind the lift, it's a considered buy. The brand is best remembered for its Wonderbra work and the cult Glossies sheer range, both designed to flatter rather than simply cover. Bear in mind Gossard officially ceased trading and entered liquidation effective 14 May 2026, so its pieces now carry a closing-chapter, heritage-collectible quality.

Gossard spent decades refining bras and corsetry, pioneering the panty-girdle in the 1960s and the sheer, iridescent Glossies in the 1970s. That long focus on fit and finish is why the name became shorthand for shaping that flatters. Quality on any given style depends on the line, so look at the fabric and construction of the specific piece, especially now that the brand has wound down.

Hello Boys was Gossard's 1994 advertising campaign for the Wonderbra, fronted by model Eva Herzigová. The poster became so iconic that in 2011 it was voted 'the greatest poster of all time.' More than any single product, it cemented Gossard's reputation for bold, cleavage-forward lingerie marketing.

Glossies is the sheer lingerie range Gossard introduced in the 1970s, designed for a transparent, iridescent look. The brand later developed larger Glossies sizes up to DD. A 1996 'Girl in the grass' Glossies campaign, shot by Herb Ritts and starring Sophie Anderton, drew a record 321 complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority, none of which were upheld.

Gossard was established as H. W. Gossard Co. in Chicago in 1901. Founder Henry Williamson Gossard was inspired by a made-to-measure corset worn by the actress Sarah Bernhardt during a Paris performance of the play L'Aiglon, in which she played a boy. He decided to import and market the concept in America.

Though founded in Chicago, Gossard reformed as a British company after a 1930s bankruptcy and became Nottingham-based. It was acquired by Courtaulds Textile Group in 1959, at one point became a property of the French company DBApparel, then was reacquired by Courtaulds in 2007. The brand officially ceased trading and entered liquidation effective 14 May 2026.

During the Second World War, Gossard turned its manufacturing to the war effort, producing parachutes, sails, and bras for women of the English navy. It was one chapter in the brand's long evolution from American corset importer to British lingerie institution.

In the 1920s Gossard introduced the idea of putting corset ties on the front, allowing the wearer to untie them herself rather than relying on assistance. It was an early example of the brand's habit of rethinking how women's foundation wear actually worked, advertised under the slogan 'The Gossard Line of Beauty.'

Yes. In 2022 Gossard released the 'I am Enough' campaign, celebrating body positivity, and developed its size range further, up to a G cup. It was a notable shift in tone for a brand long associated with the cleavage-driven glamour of its Wonderbra and Glossies eras.

Gossard Girls is a book by Phyllis Michael Wong about life inside the Gossard factory in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan from the 1920s through the 1970s. It documents the working community behind the brand during its mid-century manufacturing heyday.

Let the look you want guide you. If you're after dramatic lift and cleavage in the spirit of the Wonderbra era, reach for a push-up style; if you prefer a barely-there, natural finish under clothes, the sheer Glossies line is the brand's signature. Either way, prioritise getting the band and cup right, since Gossard's shaping only delivers when the fit is correct.