The Miracle Bra is a trademark of Victoria's Secret to describe a line of bras and lingerie that were designed to increase the cleavage of the wearer. It was to be their answer to the Wonderbra, which was enjoying a renewed popularity.
In 1992, Victoria's Secret began development of their cleavage-enhancing bras, which were first introduced in their stores in August, 1993, with the release of the original padded push-up bra. While the name Miracle Bra had been chosen as early as December, 1992 (supposedly after a model tried one on and exclamed, "Wow, this is a miracle!"), the name did not appear alongside the actual garments until November, 1993. The trademark registration was approved in August, 1994, and the bra and matching bikini started appearing in catalogs as well as retail locations. The Miracle Bra line quickly became their flagship product.
In November 1994, Victoria's Secret also released a line of swimwear under the Miracle Bra trademark. Victoria's Secret had applied for a trademark for the Miracle Bra name for their swimwear line in August, prior to the initial release of the line. However the Patent and Trademark Office refused their application in February, 1995 on the basis that it was too similar to the Miraclesuit trademark belonging to A&H Sportswear, Inc.
In December, 1994, prior to the rejection of their trademark application and only one month after the launch of their swimwear line, Victoria's Secret was the target of a trademark infringement case by A&H Sportswear Inc. A&H claimed that the names were too similar and there was a probability of confusion between the brands: either direct confusion where consumers believed that the Miracle Bra swimsuits were a product of A&H, or reverse confusion where consumers believed that the Miraclesuit was a product of Victoria's Secret. The bench trial lasted a total of two weeks, and the judge ruled that in the area of lingerie, there was no case for infringement or dilution. However, in the case of swimwear, the judge found sufficient cause, and ruled against Victoria's Secret's use of the name.
Both parties appealed the decisions. During appeals, the decision in favor of Victoria's Secret was upheld. However, the decision in favor of A&H was overturned, possibly in connection with a disclaimer from Victoria's Secret that announces that there is no affiliation with A&H or the Miraclesuit that was put into use.
A&H appealed the reversal, but in December, 2000, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the reversed decision, allowing Victoria Secret to keep the use of the name Miracle Bra for their swimwear as well.