A protective device for an end portion of an underwire for a garment including a cushion tip having a proximal portion and a distal portion. The proximal portion has "an internal cavity extending over a portion of the length of the proximal portion and is dimensioned to receive the end of an underwire of similar cross-section. The distal end of the cushion tip extends from the proximal portion a distance beyond the cavity length and includes at least one portion of relatively reduced bending strength formed by reducing the cross-sectional area by way of a groove or grooves, or the like. The at least one groove provides a flexible region between the proximal and distal portions. The portion of relatively reduced bending strength can be provided by other known means such as molding the protective device with different materials of relatively different strengths.

An underwire including an arcuate member for use with supporting garments, such as brassieres, has one or more zones of increased lateral flexibility along the longitudinal axis of the arcuate member in order to provide greater comfort to the individual wearer, without substantially affecting the arcuate rigidity that provides support. The increased flexibility is provided to the zones of increased flexibility by reducing the cross-sectional area of one or more end portions by tapering one or more sides, by sequentially and progressively stamping increasing numbers of incremental portions of the end portion in a stamping apparatus, to taper one or two opposed surfaces of the arcuate member. Alternatively a single step stamping method can be utilized to provide the flexible end portion.