Maidenform Brands, Inc. (MFB)

I noticed this company a few years ago when the stock was just under $10 per share and what caught my eye back then was the IPO price and subsequent decline. In one of the articles or SEC docs (don't recall which) MFB announced that it was switching it's manufacturing to China from if I remember correctly the US, I predicted that subsequent earnings statements would start looking sweeter based on other labor rate comparisons I've seen between the U.S., Latin America, Eastern Europe, and China regions not for clothing but for electronic contract manufacturing. There was no way in my mind that the company couldn't profit and not long thereafter, the stock began to grow. In addition I remember seeing evidence of the company's existence in my day to day life, when on the dinner table, one day after work, a really nice see through package was sitting on the dinner table and it looked like a package that could contain a CD player or high end headphones - but it was a package for MFB bras! Now knowing full well that Victoria's Secret had my undivided attention when I was in college, and has now lost it because I don't understand "the look" they're selling, I believe that Victoria's recent comments that their products are too sexy, is an indicator that perhaps MFB has been on the right track all along. There's a good recent article from the Seeking Alpha crew (Ben Mackovak) about this company and he puts numbers to MFB better than I can, but I fully agree with his comments on the nature of underwear, and think there's more opportunity with how MFB has marketed their product as a market beating company from 1-2 years out.