Essential Under Things opened in July of 2004. The owner, Meredith Ireland, began the process by coming to the realization that there was nowhere in Brantford that she could buy a bra in her size. She felt that it was extremely inconvenient to have to travel at least a half an hour to purchase something that she needed everyday. The more she thought about it the more she realized that if she was having so much difficulty there were probably many other women going through the same thing. With her previous managerial experience in the lingerie industry and her training and ability in the fitting process the next step seemed logical. Essential Under Things was born.