The purpose of this study is to suggest a direction for the development of unlined underwear design. A style for unlined underwear can take strong points and compensate for weak points by using the characteristics of wire brassieres and bralettes. As a method for research, we based our study on literature and data such as previous studies, professional books, internet articles, and fashion magazines. As a result of analyzing the brassiere’s status in lines like ‘FOREVER 21’ and ‘VICTORIA’S SECRET’, we determined that ‘FOREVER 21’ reflects the trend of unlined style underwear, and ‘VICTORIA’S SECRET’ has both unlined and wire brassieres to make breast correction. In the case of unlined style brassieres, a wire is put in order to gather the chest for compromising comfort and correction. In order to express the possibility of expressing various feelings even in unlined style, Design 1 lets everyone know that unlined underwear can be very comfortable as a daily, not used only occasionally for events. Design 2 demonstrates that besides the artificial feeling of using the strap for a special day or event, it can be expressed naturally by using the lace as it is. Design 3 expresses the luxurious and sexy, rather than the low-grade decadent sexy, by using the feeling of the single layer lace and the pearl decoration for wedding and honeymoon.

Introduction Over the past 30 years, Chinese textile and clothing manufacturers have successfully established themselves as leading original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for world markets. This reputable position requires dedicated cost management; however, incremental increases in labor, land prices, rent, and production costs in China threaten and may eventually eliminate their OEM advantage (Yam, Lo, Sun, & Tang, 2003). The worldwide economic and business recession has intensified cost cutting measures as the essential survival tool for maintaining competitiveness. Since the mid-1990s, many Chinese companies have begun to recognize the importance of developing their own global brands and moving up the value-creation ladder (Fan, 2006). One such company is Aimer Group, Ltd., a vertically integrated premium underwear manufacturer. Initially founded in 1993 as an OEM, Aimer quickly transitioned to establish its own brands in domestic markets and, in recent years, has ventured into international markets. Currently, Aimer and its umbrella product lines are among the most recognized underwear brands in China with a manufacturing capacity of 10 million pieces. Their merchandise includes an array of women’s, men’s, teen girl’s and children’s lines as well as custom-made lingerie. According to the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, Aimer Group has maintained the highest market share and the largest sales volume in the underwear sector for several years in China’s markets (Aimer, 2011). Objectives The purpose of the study was to investigate the design strategies implemented by Aimer to support their successful branding efforts. Specifically, the researchers seek to find: (a) the core elements in Aimer’s design strategies; (b) Aimer designers’ approach to product development; and (c) How design strategies support Aimer’s overall branding and marketing strategies. Findings will provide valuable implications for other Chinese apparel manufacturers who strive to integrate design innovation in order to remain competitive. Research Method A case study method was implemented which included: on-site visits to Aimer Group’s headquarters, manufacturing facility, and retail stores in Beijing; in-depth interviews with Aimer Groups’ Chairman, senior management, Chief Design Officer, designers, retail store managers, and the general manger of the Beijing manufacturing facility; and a review of the company website and other internal documents, as well as an extensive external search of relevant news reports, social media contents, industry information, and academic literature. A qualitative data analysis method was utilized. Findings Aimer brands have grown and matured along with the Chinese consumers. Until the late 1990s, consumers passively accepted whatever the industry provided for them. Today, 15 years later, consumers have become keenly aware of what they want in underwear and that desire drives the industry’s new product development. Aimer’s design strategies are consumer-centric but also a reflection of its internal strategic direction. Its core elements include the following: (1) Understanding consumer lifestyles: Extensive fashion industry trend analysis, consumer research, and market/sale feedback are just starting points for product development at Aimer. In addition, they use broader consumer lifestyle analysis, including an examination of new technology trends, consumer preferences for jewelry, cosmetics, car and cell phone designs, popular video/computer games, consumers’ financial management behaviors, and societal hot topics as a way of guiding product design. (2) Innovation: Innovation is of paramount importance in Aimer’s product development. They have maintained active partnerships with international suppliers and Research & Development teams to ensure the latest fiber discoveries, fabric developments, and pattern engineering technology are incorporated into new product design. (3) Tradition preserved and reinvented: Aimer brands keep certain essential elements integral to their overall style, reinventing and integrating heritage elements into new designs. By doing so, brand history is enriched and continuity sustained. Aspers (2010) suggests that product development must embrace contextual knowledge: the designer’s general knowledge of fashion and their lifeworld. Each domain is used to interpret fashion. A designer’s lifeworld comprises their inherent values and beliefs, presenting challenges when creating products for consumers who live in different lifeworld. Aimer’s solutions to the challenge include the following: (1) Designers as entrepreneurs: Designers are trained to be entrepreneurs who must think of design not only from creative aspects but also within a business context. The company has established effective protocols for new product design and adoption procedures and standards; meanwhile, designers are provided with weekly sales records as market feedback to guide their future design directions. They are also given opportunities on a regular basis to travel to various international and domestic markets to gain first-hand experience and knowledge of fashion trends and consumers. (2) Teamwork: Designers from various regions of China and internationally are grouped in teams and assigned to work together on brands. This provides ample opportunity for them to interact and learn from each other so that their lifeworld is expanded. Branding literature suggests that consumer’s individual and shared brand experiences affect a consumer-brand relationship (Chang, Long, Chieng, & Hua, 2006) which is of critical importance to brand loyalty. Aimer’s design strategies support its branding and marketing strategies by: (a) contributing to consumers’ positive, consistent, and multi-dimensional brand knowledge as a part of the brand-leveraging process (Keller, 2003); (b) providing value-added product and service features to enhance brand-augmentation (Magrath, 1997); and (c) offering strong and effective design capacity for brand tiering (Magrath, 1997). Implications Based on the findings, implications for Chinese apparel manufacturers who strive to upgrade with design innovation will be discussed.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the underwear design shown in historical dramas set in Europe between the 16th and the 18th century, woman's bodies were highly restricted, in order to analyze the symbolism of the movie costume and provide basic data for the future education of the department of movie costume design. For a study method, literature relating to movie costumes and underwear as well as captured images from 29 historical dramas set in Europe between the 16th and the 18th century was reviewed. Among them, data from 17 movies where underwear and crinoline were observed was analyzed. Historical movies, set in the 18th century Europe exposed underwear more frequently and decisively than movies set in the 16th and 17th centuries. For the figure wearing underwear, its expression effect was maximized by the implication function of costumes. Underwear can easily express the time and space background and symbolize the character's social and economic position, attitudes, and values. In addition, the exposure of underwear can reveal characters' internal expressions, such as mental status, taste, temper, intention, mood, time and space display. The result of observing the underwear shown in movies reveals that underwear plays a subjective role in expressing ideal femininity as a woman of a particular age, modesty, social position symbolism and eroticism that depended on the situation. It is expected that the study will provide an opportunity to reconsider the function of underwear, which is different from the meaning of costume history, and its role as a means of communication by considering the change of underwear by age.