After seeing how little influence his lectures had on women's attitudes towards fashion, he returned to his New York home and began a more aggressive approach to fighting the ills caused by the corset.

These revolutionary undergarments also featured shoulder straps and more flexible boning and lateral bust supports[12] made of Coraline, a product of the fibers of the Mexican Ixtle plant.

Women had a more care-free attitude toward life and ditched the corset and pantaloons in favor of breast-binding bandeaus and step-in panties.

Even as the boyish figure of the previous decade's Flappers fell out of style and curves made a return to fashion, Warner struggled.

[18] Sales of bras, girdles, and the cross-promotion of the Merry Widow line of corselets with the 1952 Lana Turner movie of the same name, led to record profits.

[21] The late 1950s also saw Warner Brothers diversify its product lineup to include menswear and accessories, as well as sportswear for both men and women.

[citation needed] Wachner had previously risen through the ranks at Max Factor, making the declining cosmetics company profitable again within just two years.

[25] She wasted no time at Warnaco and right away went to work streamlining the company's fifteen divisions into just two categories: menswear and underwear.

In 1990, Wachner formed a new corporation, Authentic Fitness Corp., for the purpose of separating Warnaco's activewear lines including Speedo and White Stag ski clothing.

That same year, Wachner secured a sponsorship deal for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, GA.[26] By 1991, Warnaco's lingerie division had license agreements with Valentino, Ungaro, Scaasi, Bob Mackie, Victoria's Secret and Fruit of the Loom.

The menswear division produced shirts, sweaters, neckties and other accessories under names including Christian Dior, Hathaway, Chaps by Ralph Lauren, and Jack Nicklaus.

At the end of 1991, the company produced $195.4 million in gross profits and Linda Wachner was named Business Woman of the Year by Fortune.

[27] The remainder of the decade saw Wachner take her company on a buying spree, acquiring designer labels Calvin Klein Underwear, Body Slimmers (purchased from Nancy Ganz, wife of Mitchell S. Steir), ABS by Allan Schwartz, as well as private label sleepwear manufacturers GJM Group, French lingerie company Lejaby-Euralis.

As part of its restructuring, the company sold its White Stag trademark to Wal-Mart and later decided to exit the designer swimwear market and focus on strengthening its Speedo products.

[40] In 2008, the company also ceased operations under the Michael Kors and Nautica labels, citing a collective $1.7 million in losses from the two brands.

[40] In further efforts to boost its swimwear line, Speedo renewed its contract with 8-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, extending his endorsement through the next Summer Games.

[40][42] In order to strengthen its "core intimates" group, (Warner's, Olga, Calvin Klein Underwear), the company shed private label GJM[43] and high-end lingerie brand Lejaby.

[40][46] It also licenses or franchises an additional 624 stores and the Calvin Klein brand accounted for 75% of the Warnaco Group's $2 billion net sales in 2009.

[51] During the summer of 1915, approximately 1,300 women and girls employed by The Warner Brothers Corset Company factory in Bridgeport, Connecticut, walked off the job.

Connecticut newspaper The Day reported "a Miss Jones...who is believed to have objected to the [negotiation] proceedings, is said to have been roughly handled by the other strikers, and to have had her clothing almost torn from her."

Upon arrival in Saipan, the workers are forced to surrender their passports and work off the money they owe, in effect making them indentured servants.

The workers further claimed that they were forced to sign "shadow contracts" waiving basic human rights, including the freedom to date or marry.

The suits allege they work and live in crowded, unsanitary factories and shanty-like housing compounds that are in flagrant violation of federal law.

[56] Almost immediately, Warnaco denied any wrongdoing, stating that they hire subcontractors that strictly follow U.S. law[58] and in the spring of 1999, was among the first companies to settle.

The commission complained Warnaco "falsely portrayed the inventory write-down as a part of the company's write-off of deferred start-up costs under a new accounting pronouncement.

In its press release announcing the settlement of the suit, the commission stated "at the time she approved and signed the 1998 annual report, Wachner knew or should have known that the restatement of the company's financial results was caused by material flaws in the cost accounting and internal control systems at one of the company's largest divisions and was not related to the write-up of deferred start-up or start-up related costs."

Klein, himself appeared on CNN's Larry King Live shortly after the suit was filed and stated these practices have been taking place since Warnaco acquired the license three years prior.

The statement further accused Calvin Klein of "throwing stones at Warnaco," in a "desperate attempt... to cover up and distract focus from the highly deteriorated business state of CKI".