It seems only natural that bra makers would join forces to bolster their business, support it and keep it all comfortable. Or something. In any case, Hanesbrands, which makes the Wonderbra among other undergarments, announced that it’s agreed to buy Maidenform Brands for $547 million. This is the biggest deal in the skivvies world in years, and comes as the company tries to compete with specialty brands like Victoria’s Secret and Spanx.

Hanesbrands currently has Playtex, Bali, Champion, Wonderbra and of course, Hanes in its roster, and the deal would add in Maidenform, Flexees and Self Expressions, reports the Associated Press.

Customers are often looking for the fancy, the frilly or the bulge-smoothing undergarments, which can make it tough for other brands to compete. But with the combined uplifting power of these brands, Hanes will likely focus more on expanding its options.

“Maidenform has great brands that consumers trust,” said Hanes CEO Richard A. Noll. “Combining the complementary strengths of both companies creates a lot of growth opportunities.”

Maidenform was founded 90 years ago and patented the very first modern-seamed “uplift” bra in 1925, which, in a way, makes it a predecessor to the gravity-defying powers touted by Wonderbra.

Hanesbrands got its start in 1901 as strictly for men, selling hosiery, but then expanded into men’s underwear in 1920 and got into the bra game in 1971.

Shoppers likely won’t notice a difference in the intimates section at first, as it appears the two brands will maintain their identities and current lines, and just merge on the business side. But who knows, maybe some kind of miraculous bra engineering will occur and result in the bra to end all bras. One can only hope.

The perfect fit: Wonderbra maker to buy Maidenform [Associated Press]

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