The Japanese lingerie company Triumph International launched its newest bra-gadget, the ticking Husband-Hunting Bra, at the Tokyo Ryutsu Center in Tokyo today. Japanese government data show that 57% of Japanese women under 34 remain single, and with the marriage rate still plummeting among young Japanese, Triumph is making this statement of support, so to speak, for matrimony.
Triumph is also known for 2008’s energy-friendly, solar-powered brassiere that generates enough energy to charge your phone or iPod, and 2007’s My Chopsticks Bra, whose cups runneth over with not only your own bounty but with Chow Mein and rice as well. With holster-hoops on the sides of the cups and a “stick rest” in the cleavage, this over-the-shoulder boulder holster keeps your hands free for other demands, like fishing for your keys or produce shopping. (The Chopsticks Bra is socially purposed to promote the use of reusable chopsticks.)
Other pioneering efforts by Triumph have included a bra that converts to a cloth shopping bag, prompting the obvious question of what to wear while you are actually browsing, and the most eco-friendly bra device yet, the Warmbiz Bra, a microwaveable number that keeps the wearer warm long after she has turned her collar up to the elements.
This year’s innovation, the Husband-Hunting Bra, operates basically as a timer, ticking the countdown to marital bliss. When the owner finds her intended and is betrothed, she inserts the engagement ring in a special pink plastic slot, at which point the ticking stops and The Wedding March begins to play.
This article appears in May 8 • 2009.