Frederick's of Hollywood
Frederick's of Hollywood is an American fashion company that specializes in the manufacture of women's underwear .
The company was founded in 1946 by Frederick Mellinger (1913–1990) in New York as a mail order company. In 1947 he moved to Los Angeles, renamed his company Frederick's of Hollywood and opened his first branch on Hollywood Boulevard . This Art Deco building is still one of the city's landmarks today; In 2005, however, the company's flagstore was relocated a few blocks away from Highland Avenue.
In contrast to the simple cotton love-killers customary in the USA at the time, Mellinger sold refined lingerie , the design of which was based on European, especially French models. His corsetry quickly became popular , especially with Hollywood movie stars and starlets . In particular, the fact that the pin-up icon Bettie Page had a fondness for Mellinger's erotic creations ensured that the brand soon acquired a glamorous, wicked image.
Melinger's innovations also included the world's first push-up bra , the Rising Star , which was introduced to women in 1948 . Other merits of Mellinger were the invention of the bra with front fastening and the introduction of the thong on the American market in 1981 . In 1989 he opened what is probably the first lingerie museum in the country, in which since then not only his own creations have been shown, but also, for example, Madonna's famous pointed-breasted corset made by Jean-Paul Gaultier .
Today Frederick's of Hollywood has over 200 branches across the country, and a good half of its sales are generated through mail order. The company's catalogs reach double-digit millions and, along with the annual swimwear issue of Sports Illustrated magazine, are the most popular publication among American men who enjoy photos of slightly cropped women.