The Jewish Immigrant Who Revolutionized Fashion: How Ida Cohen Rosenthal and Maidenform Shaped Modern Lingerie
If you are wearing a bra right now, you owe a debt of gratitude to a trailblazing Jewish immigrant named Ida Cohen Rosenthal. Long before the modern intimate apparel industry became a multi-billion-dollar global enterprise, Rosenthal helped transform undergarments from restrictive, shape-flattening constraints into supportive, form-enhancing garments that celebrated the natural human body.
The remarkable story of Maidenform—a company built on innovation, bold marketing, and resilience—began in the bustling garment district of 1920s Manhattan. At a time when women were breaking free from traditional Victorian constraints only to adopt the stark, boyish silhouettes of the flapper era, the undergarment industry reflected those shifting aesthetic trends. Contemporary bras of the period, which closely resembled modern bandeaus, were deliberately engineered to flatten rather than support the breasts, smoothing out the female form to align with current fashion ideals.
Working as a dressmaker at Enid Frocks, a Manhattan dress shop owned by Enid Bissett, Russian-Jewish immigrant Ida Rosenthal and her employer quickly realized that this flattened look was deeply unflattering and uncomfortable for many women. Refusing to accept the limitations of the era’s fashion standards, the two women began tinkering with undergarment designs in their spare time, striving to create a piece that would provide genuine support while working in harmony with a woman’s natural curves.
The result of their creative experiments was a revolutionary cupped brassiere designed to enhance, rather than erase, the natural shape of the human body. Initially, these innovative undergarments were intended merely as a functional secondary offering—a way to help their dresses drape better on customers who visited the shop. However, the response from everyday shoppers was overwhelmingly positive. Customers loved the comfort and silhouette provided by the cupped bras so much that the business partners soon found themselves shifting their primary business model to focus squarely on the production and sale of undergarments.
By 1925, Ida’s husband, William Rosenthal, had joined the enterprise, bringing his own tailoring and business expertise to the expanding operation. Together, Ida, William, and Enid opened a dedicated manufacturing factory in New Jersey to keep up with surging consumer demand. They chose a cheeky, deliberate name for their new brand: Maiden Form, a direct and witty counterpoint to the prevailing "boyish form" and flattened bandeau bras that dominated the contemporary market.
As the business grew, Ida Rosenthal established herself as an exceptional corporate leader and visionary. According to the Smithsonian Institution, she was an innovative businesswoman who helped launch aggressive advertising campaigns that propelled the brand—now known globally as Maidenform—into history as the very first American lingerie company to advertise its products. Throughout her career with the firm, Rosenthal wore many hats, serving capably as treasurer, president, chief executive officer, and eventually chairman of the board. When her husband William passed away in 1958, Ida seamlessly assumed the presidency, leading the corporation during an era when female corporate executives were still an extreme rarity in the American business landscape.
Beyond their foundational work on the modern brassiere, Ida and William Rosenthal are also widely credited with inventing the nursing bra, addressing a crucial, previously ignored physical need for mothers. Furthermore, when the United States entered World War II and industrial manufacturing shifted dramatically to support the war effort, the Maidenform factories pivoted to produce specialized military vests for soldiers. These unique garments included custom pockets specifically designed to safely transport homing pigeons into combat zones.
Perhaps most famously, Maidenform proved that its leadership was never afraid to inject creativity, irony, and a little bit of fun into their product marketing. Beginning in 1949, the company launched its legendary and iconic "I Dreamed" advertising campaign. The striking print ads featured women wearing nothing above the waist except their Maidenform bras while engaging in everyday, empowering activities such as shopping, working in professional offices, and even running for political office.
Despite the initial societal scandal of depicting women without traditional outer shirts—a move that caused quite a stir of public pearl-clutching at the time—the groundbreaking campaign endured for two full decades. It ultimately cemented itself as one of the most recognizable and analyzed advertising initiatives in American marketing history. Pop culture fans often recall the campaign through television homages, such as a famous season two episode of the critically acclaimed drama series "Madmen," titled "Maidenform," in which a rival advertising agency scrambles to enlist Don Draper and his team to capture the unique magic and cultural impact of the original Maidenform ads.
Beneath the glittering surface of this mid-century advertising empire lay a deeply rooted, classic Jewish immigrant narrative. Born Ida Kaganovich in 1886 in a region that is now part of Belarus, she was the eldest of seven children in a bustling household. Her father made his living as a Torah scholar and scribe, while her mother managed a small general store to help support the family. From an early age, Ida demonstrated a strong work ethic, working as a dressmaker while continuing her education. During her youth, she also became politically active, engaging in radical socialist causes. Indeed, historical accounts note that potential legal complications and political persecution stemming from these radical beliefs served as a primary catalyst behind Ida and William’s momentous decision to immigrate to the United States.
After marrying in 1905 and watching their modest dressmaking venture blossom into a corporate powerhouse over the ensuing decades, the Rosenthals remained steadfastly connected to their heritage and deeply committed to philanthropic Jewish causes. They directed significant financial support toward prominent organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League and the United Jewish Appeal—an essential historical precursor to the Jewish Federation that played a critical role in helping European Jews escape persecution and flee the continent following Kristallnacht in 1939.
The enduring cultural and historical footprint of the family can still be seen in major academic and historical repositories today. New York University houses a specialized collection preserving the family’s extensive collection of Judaica and Hebrew books, while the Smithsonian Institution maintains a comprehensive Maidenform corporate archive. These collections speak volumes about the profound personal, cultural, and professional influence the family exerted on 20th-century American life, commerce, and industry.
Ida Rosenthal passed away in 1973 at the age of 87, leaving behind a transforming industry and a legacy of female corporate leadership. The company she helped build and nurture continued to operate as a successful family-run enterprise for many decades following her passing. Over subsequent years, the brand has been bought and sold through various corporate acquisitions, and today it operates under the corporate umbrella of Hanes, continuing the long-standing tradition of creating supportive undergarments and shapewear designed for people of diverse backgrounds, shapes, and sizes.
