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Cotton Incorporated Press Release

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What Lies Beneath — Some Surprising Stats About Women’s Bras

New York — Just because the dog days of August are here, doesn’t mean you have to feel the heat. For women, wearing a comfortable cotton bra is just one way to keep cool when the mercury rises.

Cotton is a natural choice for bras because it is the most breathable of fabrics. “Cotton bras have also had a fashion makeover by intimate apparel manufacturers and are being done up in fun colors with more embellishment,” says Cotton Incorporated’s fashion trend analyst, Suzanne Shapiro.

In fact, the Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle MonitorÔ, an ongoing study which tracks consumers’ attitudes and behaviors toward shopping, fashion and other related topics, reports that 46% of all women surveyed prefer cotton bras; bras made of blended fabrics lag behind as the number two choice with only 12%.

Karen Bromley, spokesperson for the Intimate Apparel Group, relates, “Cotton bras are doing particularly well because they're comfortable and they breathe.”

Jannie Whitt, owner and designer of lingerie company Unusual Babe Undercover, started designing cotton bras with more feminine touches when she noticed a conspicuous lack of pretty ones in the marketplace. "As with my sleepwear line, my bras have lace trim and rosettes so they’re very feminine and beautiful,” she says. “It's not your grandma's bra."

According to the Monitor, women own an average of 11 bras; a startling 22% own 13+ of the undergarments, while 23% have 5 to 6.

The NPD Group’s recent NPDFashionworld Women’s Bra Report says women purchase bras 3.4 times per year and buy an average of 2.5 bras each time they shop.

In addition, The NPD Group reports the majority of bras are bought in discount stores such as Wal-Mart, Kmart or Target. However, younger women, 18-24 years, are more likely to shop at a specialty store such as Victoria’s Secret than consumers over the age of 35.

While cotton bras generally come in basic white, black and nude, demand for color is changing this category’s offerings, making for a more lively selection. For instance, consumers can now think really pink in a cotton bikini set printed with an official Emilio Pucci design in shades of fuschia, bubblegum and blush.

Jim Noble, senior vice president for the Jockey brand, says, “We’ve been in the intimate business for more than twenty years, but we didn’t introduce our first bra line until three years ago. We found our niche in cotton bras and it soon became a significant program for us.”

As to why cotton bras have become so popular, Noble says the first reason is “comfort with a capital ‘C.’ It is a 'feel good' product that takes color very well.”

Jockey now offers its cotton bras in fun colors such as green, violet and yellow to appeal to a younger-minded customer.