You could say the bra is the garment closest to a woman’s heart.
But it’s more than just a piece of (often overpriced) fabric. First patented by American woman Mary Phelps in 1914, the modern bra is a touchstone of female progress in terms of identity, fashion, athletics, health and sexuality.
The Common Thread meets one of Ireland’s only bra designers in the heart of the Connemara Gaeltacht, discusses the benefits the modern sports bra has brought to women in sports and looks back at just over 100 years of the humble bra and social identity.
Listen now on Documentary on One : The Common Thread.
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