Playtex Bra advert circa 1980

Playtex is a well-known brand (and trademark). It used to be associated with bras and women’s undergarments. Currently there are two separate companies with the Playtex name.

The women’s undergarment Playtex manufactures feminine hygiene and infant care products. The name comes from “perforated latex” which sandwiched between cloth gave the underwear its elastic and body-shaping character.

A children’s diaper and other baby products company also bears the PlayTex name. This has been and continues to be a source of confusion.

Info gleaned from Wikipedia

1979 Dreft Washing Powder commercial.
Dreft is a popular laundry detergent in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, the Netherlands and other markets. First produced by Procter & Gamble in 1933, it was one of the earliest synthetic detergents. Upon its inception, Dreft was touted as a significant improvement over the soap suds of the day, but it proved best at treating only lightly soiled clothes and not heavy loads. As Dreft does not leave a lime scum deposit nor does it contain harsh chemicals such as bleach, it is suitable for fine washables such as silk or wool as well as flame resistant fabrics. The Fairy brand of washing-up liquid is also sold under the name Dreft in some countries.

1977 Rotary Quartz commercial

Rotary Watches Ltd. was established at La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland by Moise Dreyfuss in 1895. By the 1920s family members Georges and Sylvain Dreyfuss began importing Rotary watches to Britain, which was to become the company’s most successful market. Rotary is still an independent family company, and at present Robert Dreyfuss – the great grandchild of Moise Dreyfuss – is its chairman.

In 1940 Rotary became the official watch supplier for the British Army^[1]. Coinciding as this did with the Second World War and the drafting of huge numbers into the army, the move put a Rotary watch in almost every household in Britain, leaving a lasting impression of the brand in the UK. More recently, Rotary Watches was elected as one of the UK’s “superbrands” in 2006^[2] and has retained its place in successive years. The “winged wheel” Rotary logo was first introduced in 1925 and has since undergone only minor changes in appearance. In addition to its traditional brand, the company also produces watches under the more exclusive “Dreyfuss & Co” name.

Rotary is a member of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH. Although naturally proud of their Swiss heritage, Rotary Watches’ head office is now in the UK, and they are predominantly a British company. As is the case with many watchmakers, Rotary offer a range of timepieces manufactured in Switzerland together with a range of less expensive pieces made elsewhere, usually with movements from Japan or China Which are then assembled in Japan or China before being reimported to Switzerland and Marked as Swiss.

Rotary watches typically use either a quartz or automatic movement, and often feature what Rotary refer to as the “Dolphin Standard” (equivalent to at least ISO 2281), meaning they are water resistant and may be suitable for all-day swimming and diving. Unique to Rotary is the “Revelation” design of reversible watch, which features two distinct movements and faces, allowing the wearer to change style at will or easily switch between two different time zones.

Info gleaned from Wikipedia

1977 Playtex Superlook Panties commercial from the UK.

Playtex is a well-known brand (and trademark). It used to be associated with bras and women’s undergarments. Currently there are two separate companies with the Playtex name.

The women’s undergarment Playtex manufactures feminine hygiene and infant care products. The name comes from “perforated latex” which sandwiched between cloth gave the underwear its elastic and body-shaping character.

A children’s diaper and other baby products company also bears the PlayTex name. This has been and continues to be a source of confusion.

Info gleaned from Wikipedia

1977 Non-Slip Bra by Berlei commercial

The brand originated in Australia in 1917. Berlei undergarments are now sold in Australia by Pacific Brands and in the United Kingdom by Courtaulds Textiles.

The name came from that of the firm’s founder, Frederick R. Burley, who felt that his name as normally spelled was not appropriate to his products.

Berlei Limited was one of the first Australian companies to expand outside Australia^[2]. Berlei (New Zealand) Limited was incorporated in 1923 and Berlei (U.K.) Limited was organised in 1930.

1978 18 Hour Girdle advert from Playtex .

Playtex is a well known brand (and trademark). It used to be associated with bras and women’s undergarments. Currently there are two separate companies with the Playtex name.

The women’s undergarment Playtex manufactures feminine hygiene and infant care products. The name comes from “perforated latex” which sandwiched between cloth gave the underwear its elastic and body shaping character.

A children’s diaper and other baby products company also bears the PlayTex name. This has been and continues to be a source of confusion.

History

Playtex was founded in 1932 as the International Latex Corporation by Abraham Nathaniel Spanel, an industrialist, inventor and philanthropist who held over 2,000 patents. Spanel’s original factory in New York produced ladies’ swim caps and latex gloves. Spanel is said to have maintained living quarters in the original building and would often walk the factory floor in the evening while wearing his bathrobe. His employees were among the earlier to have air-conditioning and paid life and health insurance. The New York factory was later destroyed by fire. Spanel moved his operations to Dover, Delaware where they remain to this day.

During World War II, Spanel contributed more than $1 million to the war effort, his profit from materiel contracts. When the war ended the company used the materials developed for life jackets for other purposes, particularly for intimate apparel garments such as girdles and bras.

Playtex is noted for a focus on comfortable girdles (the 18 hour girdle and its coordinating range, and the I can’t believe it’s a girdle range) and innovation in brassiere design such as the introduction of the cross your heart patented design which enjoyed a worldwide success. Many different names in different languages such as Coeur croisé in French, Zeuber Creuz in German, Cruzado Magico in Spanish, now with many imitators appeared as the patent expired. All Playtex branded products were manufactured at the Dover complex at the time.

Playtex was the first to advertise tampons on television. Using live models instead of mannequins to model bras in TV commercials was also a first for the company.

In the 1960s, Playtex subsidiary ILC Dover had a contract with NASA to produce their space suits.

info gleaned from Wikipedia

C&A advert from way back in 1977

C&A is an international chain of fashion retail clothing stores, with its European head offices in Brussels, Belgium and Düsseldorf, Germany. It has fashion retail store branches in Austria, Belgium, Brazil, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Slovenia, Switzerland, Turkey and opening soon in Egypt. Its brands include Canda, Clockhouse, Westbury, Yessica, Yessica Pure and Your Sixth Sense.

The company was founded by brothers Clemens and August Brenninkmeijer (German: Brenninkmeyer) in 1841 as a Dutch textile company, taking its company name from their initials, who were originally from the German Brenninkmeyer family that traded in linen and textiles since the 17th Century from their hometown in Mettingen, Germany. Since 2007, C&A has also ventured into high-street retail banking, creating C&A Bank GmbH in Germany, with its primary focus on providing consumer credit under its product “C&A Money”.

Info gleaned from Wikipedia

Woolworth Christmas advert from 1983

1988 Flik Flak Swiss Watch Commercial.

Wearing a real Swiss watch is something special but with Flik Flak, children as well as adults can feel privileged.

Flik Flak watches are manufactured with extensive experience in the Flik Flak workshops located within the plants of ETA-Switzerland (one of the Swatch Group’s biggest watch manufacturing companies).

Each Flik Flak watch bears the ETA production name written both on the back of the watch and also on the lower part of dial itself (SWISS © ETA). The Flik Flak logo is on the back of each Flik Flak timepiece and the major Swiss made values are confirmed by the aluminium case, mineral glass face and water resistant quality.

Quartz precision

Each Flik Flak watch contains a SWISS MADE (ETA) quartz movement which assures the precision of the timepiece. With Flik Flak on your wrist, being on time is never in doubt!

Advert from 1974 for the Playtex 18 Hour Girdle

Playtex was founded in 1932 as the International Latex Corporation by Abraham Nathaniel Spanel, an industrialist, inventor and philanthropist who held over 2,000 patents. Spanel’s original factory in New York produced ladies’ swim caps and latex gloves. Spanel is said to have maintained living quarters in the original building and would often walk the factory floor in the evening while wearing his bathrobe. His employees were among the earlier to have air-conditioning and paid life and health insurance. The New York factory was later destroyed by fire. Spanel moved his operations to Dover, Delaware where they remain to this day.

During World War II, Spanel contributed more than $1 million to the war effort, his profit from war materiel contracts. When the war ended the company used the materials developed for life jackets for other purposes, particularly for intimate apparel garments such as girdles and bras.

Playtex is noted for a focus on comfortable girdles (the 18 hour girdle and its coordinating range, and the I can’t believe it’s a girdle range) and innovation in brassiere design such as the introduction of the cross your heart patented design which enjoyed a worldwide success. Many different names in different languages such as Coeur croisé in French, Zeuber Creuz in German, Cruzado Magico in Spanish, now with many imitators appeared as the patent expired. All Playtex branded products were manufactured at the Dover complex at the time.

Playtex was the first to advertise tampons on television. Using live models instead of mannequins to model bras in TV commercials was also a first for the company.

In the 1960s, Playtex subsidiary ILC Dover had a contract with NASA to produce their space suits.

Later Developments

International Latex was purchased by Stanley Warner, the former theater holdings of Warner Bros., in 1954. Stanley Warner merged with fellow theater company Glen Alden in 1968, which merged with Rapid-American in 1972. Rapid-American sold the company, renamed as International Playtex, Inc. to Esmark in 1975. Beatrice Foods purchased Esmark in 1984. In December 1986, a group of Company executives, together with Drexel Burnham Lambert, bought International Playtex, Inc. in a leveraged buyout.

A new LBO occurred in 1988 on the occasion of which the Company was split into two separate and independent businesses: – The Intimate apparel business under the name of Playtex Apparel Inc and – The feminine hygiene products business under the name of Playtex Products.

Playtex products based in Dover included such brands as Playtex Living Gloves, Almay and Jhirmack. In 1999, the company acquired Personal Care Brands, the makers of Chubs and Wet Ones. The Playtex complex in Dover currently produces tampons and packages infant care products. Disposable baby bottle liners are also made at the site. The old red brick Playtex factory building on Route 13 in Dover was recently sold. In 2007 Playtex Products, Inc. was bought by Energizer Holdings, and continues to use the Playtex brand name on feminine hygiene (tampons) and infant care products. Other brands not using the Playtex name include the Banana Boat and Hawaiian Tropic sunscreens and Wet Ones disposable wipes. With Playtex, these brands are now part of the Energizer Personal Care division which also includes the Wilkinson Sword and Schick (razors) brands.

Playtex Apparel Inc, based in Stamford (CT) focused on ladies apparel business under the wellknown brands of the company such as Cross Your Heart, 18 hours, and many others and continued strong international developments. From 1988 the European portion of its business got its own R and D and design organization to develop products more suitable for the European market than pure American designed products. It came as a success. In late 1991, Playtex Apparel was acquired by Sara Lee and got progressively integrated in the Sara Lee’s Branded Apparel Division. In 2006, Sara Lee spun off its clothing sector into HanesBrands Inc., which now runs the Playtex apparel business, as well as other clothing brands such as Hanes and Champion. The exception was the European portion of its branded apparel business which was sold to private investors. As a consequence, European Playtex is now operated along with other brands under the company name of DBApparel, independently from HanesBrands.