How three women invented the sports bra to stop the pain

The jogging boom of the late 1970s created a specific physical problem for women that led to one of the most recognizable pieces of athletic apparel. The solution came not from a major corporation, but from three friends in Vermont who combined a simple idea with sewing skills to solve a daily discomfort.

In 1977, Lisa Lindahl was working at the University of Vermont. She had never been an avid athlete, often skipping gym class, but she began jogging to lose weight. The activity felt empowering, yet the hardware of a standard bra caused wires to chafe and breasts to bounce painfully. During a phone call with her sister, Lindahl expressed her frustration. Her sister jokingly asked why women did not have a jockstrap, a comment that sparked the initial concept for a new type of garment.

Lindahl recruited Polly Smith, a costume designer and former gym class skipper, to help build a prototype. Smith then brought in Hinda Miller, another designer. The trio aimed to create a seamless, breathable item that offered compression. After weeks of failed attempts, Lindahl’s husband wore a jockstrap over his head as a joke. Smith realized the solution: she sewed two jockstraps together to create a workable design.

Lindahl and Miller patented the design, filing for U.S. Patent No. 4,174,717. They co-founded Jogbra Inc. in 1979. Miller secured a $5,000 loan from her father along with investor funding and manufacturing partners. The women pitched the product to boutique shops and trade shows, initially viewing the venture as a secondary business.

The product launched just as women’s participation in high school and college sports increased following the passage of Title IX in 1972. This law banned sex discrimination in federally funded education programs, creating a larger market for women’s athletic wear. Lindahl and Miller managed the company until 1990, when Playtex Apparel purchased it. The following year, Sara Lee acquired Playtex, and the Jogbra was eventually absorbed into the Champion brand.

The sports bra category grew rapidly in the 1990s. Nike released its first sports bra in 1990. In 1999, Brandi Chastain removed her jersey to reveal a black sports bra after the U.S. women’s soccer team won the World Cup. According to market research firm Circana, sports bras now account for more than $1 billion in annual U.S. sales. Lindahl, Miller, and Smith were inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2022.

Lindahl reflected on the outcome in an interview with The Associated Press. "I thought it would be a nice mail-order business on the side," she said. "I had no idea that it would become so overwhelming."