History

Over the last 35 years, Amoena has focused on supporting women worldwide. As the industry leader, we combine technology with supreme comfort to offer an extensive range of bras, swimwear and breast symmetry products that address the needs of every woman. Our path to global leadership began with the vision and determination of one man – Cornelius Rechenberg. His passion also elevated the standards of the entire breast care industry. 

Amoena’s Early Years

Inventing and developing the silicone breast form
Cornelius Rechenberg began studying plastics technology engineering at the University of Applied Sciences in Rosenheim, Bavaria, Germany in 1971. He took a job with Anita, a manufacturer of women’s lingerie, while at the university and began experimenting with new materials for breast forms to make them feel more natural. At the time, most prostheses were plastic bags filled with liquids such as oil or paste. Cornelius knew there was a better way – in fact, he based his diploma thesis on developing a silicone breast form.

First sales activities
Cornelius recognised that the silicone breast form had more potential to fulfill women’s needs after breast surgery. However, although he positioned the silicone prosthesis as a highly marketable product, he received no interest from industry leaders. Undaunted, with the help of his brothers, he invented new manufacturing methods (often using tools from his mother’s kitchen) and travelled across Germany to sell Amoena breast forms into medical shops over the next year. Amoena debuted at its first tradeshow, IGEDO, in September 1976. Without money for a professional stand, Cornelius and his brothers collected and used Bavarian furniture from local farmers. They sold all the furniture at the show, but no breast forms!

Break-through
Their big break came later that year when Basko-CAMP, an international healthcare distributor, asked for a second presentation. They placed an order for 1,000 forms and, working around the clock, Cornelius fulfilled the order. A year later, Amoena entered the U.S. market, founding a subsidiary in Atlanta, GA. By 1980, Amoena was still a small company but growth was imminent because of Cornelius’s perseverance and commitment to innovation.