From Taboo to Triumph: The Soaring Success of India

From Taboo To Triumph: The Soaring Success Of India's Lingerie Market
From choli’s to conical bras to today’s well-fitted padded bras, India’s lingerie journey went from a steep hush to an ever-soaring hustle!

The innerwear market of India today makes Rs.25,034 crores every year and is poised to grow at a rate of 14 percent year on year. However, this wasn't always the case. 

The first actual mention of bras in literature precedes the 7th century AD, but only the elites were approved to use them! With time, normal women did gain access to it, but their comfort remained highly questionable!

The Taboo Lingerie Mindset Of Early India 
When Aruna hit puberty, her mother took her shopping for her first bra. From awkward talks with the salesman to too-tight bras, she picked up a conical bra that wasn’t even her size!

She never returned it and regrets it to date! She still questions how conical bras can be meant for female bodies.

This happened when she was 15, today she’s 59!

This incident clearly highlights the underlying issues women went through earlier. These issues weren't merely limited to production but also included consumer and distribution-level problems.

At the production level, problems like fabric sourcing, design construction, quality control, and size and fit variability were major issues. There wasn’t one single sourcing agent capable of fulfilling all these lingerie requirements! 

At the consumer level, women lacked sufficient motivation to buy well-fitted bras. Until the 1900s, lingerie was a highly taboo topic, and with a lack of proper breast education, women often shied away from discussing it.

Amisha Jain, CEO of Zivame recalls her talks with a Tier 2 city girl from Indore, where they referred to outerwear and innerwear as ‘bade kapde’ and ‘chote kapde’!

Another major problem in the lingerie segment was the low purchasing power of the customers. If you ask your grandmothers, a normal bra costed them anywhere around ₹50 to ₹60. For them, bras were meant for support rather than for fashion statement!

This kept the lingerie business in India at a stagnant low, with limited innovations. However, in recent years, there has been a remarkable change. Despite this progress, the market still hasn’t witnessed the revolution it needs!

The Triumphing Lingerie Mindset Of New India
Today’s lingerie market has expanded significantly beyond just bras and now includes a wide range of innerwear styles. It's an ever-growing market with international brands trying to get their pants (metaphorically underpants) in it. 

With increased purchasing power, the Indian market now views lingerie as a statement piece worthy of investment. Today, women don't hesitate to spend ₹1000 on bras, signifying the massive mindset shift of consumers!

At the production level, brands are growing more mindful of the fabrics, styles, and materials they employ for their customers. Their focus is extending beyond sales, as they prioritize educating their audience through social media and interactive campaigns.

Earlier there was a sharp difference between outerwear and innerwear, but with time, innerwear has matched the demand for outerwear in India. 

Well, all these changes are just the beginning!

As Neha Kant from Clovia says, “The current market is still so nascent that the top 10 brands put together are not even addressing 8 percent of the overall market.”

It’s surely a market with enormous potential, waiting to explode!