Frederick's of Hollywood
Product brand
UnclaimedAmerican lingerie and women's apparel brand associated with provocative designs, push-up bras, and Hollywood glamour.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Frederick's of Hollywood is an American lingerie and women's apparel brand founded by Frederick Mellinger in 1946. The business began in a loft on Fifth Avenue in New York City before moving to the West Coast in 1947, where it developed a close association with Hollywood entertainment culture. Its product range historically included bras, panties, corsets, hosiery, bedroom slippers, bridal lingerie, sleepwear, special-occasion garments, and revealing or novelty apparel. The brand became particularly identified with push-up bras, provocative styling, and lingerie designed to be visible, removable, or theatrical rather than purely functional. Mellinger helped establish the company's distinctive identity through products and marketing that emphasized glamour, sexual confidence, and celebrity culture. Frederick's became known for the so-called Rising Star push-up bra and for novelty products such as edible underwear. Its original flagship location in the S. H. Kress and Co. Building on Hollywood Boulevard became a recognizable retail landmark. The business also operated a lingerie museum and later a Celebrity Lingerie Hall of Fame, exhibiting garments associated with entertainers and film personalities. These displays reinforced the brand's connection with Hollywood history and made the store a destination beyond ordinary apparel retail. Frederick's expanded substantially during the second half of the twentieth century. By 1996 it reportedly had approximately 200 stores across the United States and had become one of the country's leading lingerie retailers. Its historical market leadership weakened during the 1980s as Victoria's Secret overtook it in the national lingerie market. Even as competitive conditions changed, Frederick's retained a differentiated position based on overtly sexy styling, accessible pricing, catalog merchandising, and popular-culture visibility. The brand also experienced periods of financial and organizational instability. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2000 and emerged in 2003. In 2006, it merged with New York sleepwear manufacturer Movie Star, and the headquarters moved back to New York City. The corporate name changed to Frederick's of Hollywood Group Inc. in 2008, when the company traded on the American Stock Exchange under the ticker FOHL. Harbinger Group and other investors took the company private in 2014. The physical retail business contracted sharply thereafter. In 2015, all 111 remaining retail stores were closed and the company again sought Chapter 11 protection. Authentic Brands Group acquired the brand and its online operations, relaunching Frederick's as an online-focused business. The stated strategy also contemplated placing products in department stores and other retail outlets, but the brand's principal format became digital commerce rather than a nationwide mall store network. In 2018, FOH Online Corp. was acquired by Naked Brand Group, Inc. The available reference material does not establish a later ownership change or provide a definitive account of the brand's present corporate structure. The brand remains associated with online lingerie and women's apparel sales through its official website.
History
Frederick's of Hollywood was established in 1946 by Frederick Mellinger in a Fifth Avenue loft in New York City. The company moved to the West Coast in 1947 and developed a brand identity closely tied to Hollywood glamour, celebrity imagery, and provocative lingerie. Rather than presenting intimate apparel solely as a basic clothing category, Mellinger's business emphasized theatricality, novelty, and visible sexual styling. Its range included bras, panties, corsets, hosiery, bedroom slippers, bridal lingerie, sleepwear, and special-occasion garments. The company became especially associated with the Rising Star push-up bra and with novelty products such as edible underwear. Its original flagship store in the S. H. Kress and Co. Building on Hollywood Boulevard became a local landmark and a physical expression of the brand's entertainment-industry positioning. The store also hosted a Bra Museum and later a Lingerie Museum featuring a Celebrity Lingerie Hall of Fame. Exhibits included garments associated with figures such as Madonna, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Ava Gardner, Mae West, Cher, Judy Garland, Lana Turner, Shirley MacLaine, and other performers. The museum received national attention during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, when garments were taken from the store. Among the missing items was a black Madonna bustier associated with her "Open Your Heart" music video. Frederick's offered a reward for its return, but it was not recovered according to the cited account. Madonna later supplied a replacement garment in connection with a donation to an organization providing free mammograms to people with limited financial resources. Other stolen garments, including items associated with Ava Gardner and Katey Sagal, were reportedly returned through a nearby church. Frederick's expanded across the United States during the postwar and late twentieth-century retail boom. By 1996, it reportedly operated about 200 stores. It was regarded as a market leader in lingerie until the 1980s, when Victoria's Secret surpassed it in national prominence and market position. Frederick's continued to compete through provocative designs, catalog and store merchandising, and a more accessible image of glamour. Financial restructuring became a recurring feature of the company's later history. Frederick's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2000 and emerged in 2003. In 2006 it merged with Movie Star, a New York-based sleepwear manufacturer, and the headquarters moved to New York City. The corporate name became Frederick's of Hollywood Group Inc. in 2008, and the company traded on the American Stock Exchange under the symbol FOHL. Harbinger Group and other investors took the company private in May 2014. The chain's physical retail presence ended in 2015, when all 111 stores were closed before another Chapter 11 filing. Authentic Brands Group acquired the brand and online operations and relaunched the business as an online-only store, while also discussing possible distribution through department stores and other retail channels. In 2018, Naked Brand Group, Inc. acquired FOH Online Corp. The supplied sources do not establish the brand's subsequent ownership or provide enough information to describe its current corporate organization in detail. Frederick's remains represented as an online lingerie and women's apparel brand.
- 2018
FOH Online Corp. acquired by Naked Brand Group
[1]Naked Brand Group, Inc. acquired FOH Online Corp., the operator of the brand's online business.
- 2015
Retail stores close and business shifts online
[1]All 111 retail stores closed before a second Chapter 11 filing. Authentic Brands Group acquired the brand and relaunched it as an online-focused business.
- 2014
Taken private by Harbinger Group and other investors
[1]Harbinger Group and other investors completed a transaction that took the company private.
- 2008
Corporate name and public-market identity change
[1]The company adopted the name Frederick's of Hollywood Group Inc. and traded on the American Stock Exchange under FOHL.
- 2006
Merger with Movie Star
[1]Frederick's merged with New York sleepwear manufacturer Movie Star, and its headquarters moved to New York City.
- 2005
Hollywood flagship relocates
[1]After 59 years, the store moved to the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue.
- 2003
Emergence from bankruptcy
[1]The company emerged from its first cited Chapter 11 reorganization and was headquartered in Los Angeles.
- 2000
First Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing
[1]Frederick's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
- 1996
National store network reaches approximately 200 locations
[1]The company was reported to have approximately 200 stores across the United States.
- 1992
Lingerie museum looted during Los Angeles riots
[1]The brand's Hollywood museum was looted during the Los Angeles riots, and several celebrity garments were reported stolen.
Products and positioning
Accessible, overtly sexy lingerie and women's apparel built around glamour, theatrical styling, body-conscious silhouettes, and Hollywood-inspired popular culture.
Bra
Rising Star push-up bra
The Rising Star push-up bra is the product most explicitly associated with Frederick Mellinger's contribution to lingerie design. It represents the brand's long-standing emphasis on enhanced shape, dramatic cleavage, and glamour-oriented construction rather than understated basics.
Intimate apparel
Bras
Frederick's sold a broad selection of bras, including push-up and provocative styles. Bras formed a central part of the brand's identity and helped distinguish its visibly glamorous, body-conscious positioning within the lingerie market.
Intimate apparel
Lingerie sets
Coordinated lingerie sets paired items such as bras, panties, corsets, and related garments. These sets expressed the brand's focus on complete looks for seduction, special occasions, and theatrical personal styling.
Intimate apparel
Corsets and shaping garments
Corsets and related body-conscious garments extended Frederick's emphasis on silhouette and structured glamour. They were part of the company's broader assortment of lingerie designed to shape, reveal, or dramatize the body.
Legwear
Hosiery
The brand historically offered a wide range of hosiery, complementing lingerie and special-occasion apparel. Hosiery broadened the business beyond bras and panties and supported its full-look approach to glamorous dressing.
Sleepwear
Sleepwear
Sleepwear was a recurring part of the assortment, including garments positioned between nighttime clothing and seductive lounge apparel. The category was reinforced by the company's 2006 merger with sleepwear manufacturer Movie Star.
Occasion lingerie
Bridal and special-occasion lingerie
Frederick's offered bridal lingerie and other special-occasion garments alongside everyday intimate apparel. These products applied the brand's glamour-oriented design language to weddings, celebrations, and other planned occasions.
Novelty apparel
Novelty lingerie
Novelty products, including edible underwear, were part of the company's reputation for playful and provocative merchandise. Such products helped establish Frederick's as a retailer associated with sexual novelty as well as conventional lingerie.
Brand decisions
2018
Sale of FOH Online Corp. to Naked Brand GroupM&ABackground
After the 2015 relaunch as an online-focused business, the entity operating Frederick's digital operations became the subject of an acquisition.
Action taken
Naked Brand Group, Inc. acquired FOH Online Corp.
Aftermath
The transaction placed the online Frederick's operation within Naked Brand Group, although the supplied sources do not establish the brand's later corporate ownership.
2015
Shift from nationwide stores to an online-first modelStrategyBackground
The company closed all 111 retail stores and entered another Chapter 11 proceeding after years of contraction in its physical retail business.
Action taken
Following the bankruptcy process, Authentic Brands Group acquired the brand and online operations and relaunched Frederick's primarily as an online store, while leaving open the possibility of department-store and other retail distribution.
Aftermath
The decision ended Frederick's long-running nationwide mall-store presence and repositioned the brand around digital commerce.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Naked Brand Group signs five-year renewal of Frederick's of Hollywood license[4]
Naked Brand Group signed an amended licensing agreement with Authentic Brands Group renewing its license for Frederick's of Hollywood for an additional five-year period beginning January 1, 2021.
Sources4 sources
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