20s, 30s and 40s
20s | Many women are still wearing the same old corsets. In order to perfectly fit the anatomy of the customers, Carl Doelker measured and tailored each article to fit. But the revolution in underwear design had already begun, and NATURANA attentively took note and acted. The bra is a perfect example of this.
The female body frees itself from the 15th century straitjacket it was squeezed into, and this classic corset, which was sometimes painfully tightly tied, slowly fads away. The corset became looser and developed into two, on top the bra, and below, the high-cut knickers. An additional cinch was also worn, which slimmed the waist. Even though the body was able to relax and become more fluid, corresponding to the “Roaring Twenties”, the concern to have a shapely figure still remained. Growing since 1922, Carl Doelker’s first brand names appeared and bore witness to the move towards a natural silhouette. The products were called Naturana and Naturalis…
30s | NATURANA emerges as the successor of the preceding label names in 1932. Just one year earlier the sons of the founder, Carl and Gerhard, joined their father in what was still the family business. This business, which can be seen on the previous photos, employed over 600 people in Gomaringen, Germany. For the elegant woman, the company developed more mature and extravagant models, bras with cups lined with tulle with circular overstitching for example.
The practical side however, was ignored. The success of the business was built on the concept of comfort at an attractive price. An example is the sports girdle, which was introduced in the thirties. Today it still remains a very good seller.
