It’s hard to imagine a time when the beloved bra as we know it did not exist. But ever since women roamed the earth, we’ve been preoccupied with how to support our breasts, whether it was with tight-fitting bodices that actually exposed our breasts (think ancient India), or cloth binders that restricted them. For centuries, the corset maintained our busts from below; social and cultural changes eventually killed the corset, dividing it in two and revolutionizing women’s lives forever. We have not, thankfully, looked back.

In this intriguing video, French fashion curator Catherine Ormen explores the birth of bra, an engineering feat on par with the Eiffel Tower!