EMBRACE:ANY WOMAN WHO has ever suffered the discomfort and potential embarrassment associated with underwear movement will appreciate the development of Internal Support Structure (ISS) by Galway-based Embrace Design Innovations. The ISS offers support in movement for all intimate apparel, including lingerie, nightwear, swimwear, shape wear, sportswear and maternity and nursing wear.
“I have developed a concept which offers breast support and uncompromised fit in movement across all intimate apparel,” says Embrace creative director Reenagh McCall. “The ISS addresses fit issues such as falling straps, wire displacement through downward garment drag or upward garment lift in slips, bodysuits, camisoles, and open-cup breast support in nursing garments. It also addresses breast bounce and shape in sportswear.”
The initial idea came from Reenagh McCall’s mother. “She was a bit of a latent genius and inventor in her own right. About 20 years ago, she came up with the idea of a soft piece of material to anchor a body suit. I came back to this a couple of years ago and developed the ISS, which is an extra piece of material with sits under the bra or body suit and stabilises the garment on the body.”
The concept is simple and inexpensive. It centres on the vertical and horizontal movement of the body as two separate axes. When the two axes pull against each other the garment moves. The ISS is hinged at three points thereby allowing greater freedom of movement in both directions without imposing directional pull or drag.
Market response to the innovation has been very impressive since its unveiling in September 2010. “I decided to bring it to a trade fair and I designed a few collections of lingerie to show it off. Everyone wanted to buy the collections, so I did a full collection and brought that to Paris in July of 2011. That led to the opportunity to design a prototype for the Ultra Haute Couture Lingerie show in Paris later that month, and we won the award for most creative design out of 67 entries from some of the world’s top labels. We were inundated with inquiries from the press and buyers from five continents as a result.”
McCall is currently working on collections for a new catwalk show in Paris and is in discussions with manufacturers in Italy and Canada with a view to making designs available on the retail market. “We will be selling online and selling through the retail trade,” she says. “We have made a number of very valuable contacts including buyers in leading international retailers, and our plan is to licence the products globally. We have the potential to introduce a new shape each season and remain a fresh and new brand with a name for innovation.”
