Why Is India A Favourable Market For Plus Size Inner Wear?

The intimate wear segment has witnessed a tremendous growth over the past few years. There has been a shift in the mind-set of the masses and lingerie is not considered as a bare necessity anymore, it’s a fashion statement now. The brands now offer sensuous, stylish and premium wear lingerie and it is about a lot more than just black, white and nude. Inner wear brands have evolved over the years and are now experimenting with cuts, styles, shapes, material, prints and colours. Some of them have also collaborated with designers to create different collections based on various themes. 

With a population of over 133 billion, India is a land of different shapes and sizes. The Indian market is growing with every passing day due to the popular consumer demand for plus size. The independent Indian women are aware of their needs and the increasing popularity of western brands prove that. There have been transformational changes in the Indian lingerie market due to the increasing influence of the west and ease of access to the global trends. The intimate wear is now available in playful prints like; polka dots, geometric, animal, paisleys and so on with multiple styles such as lacy, push-ups, padded even sports bras are now extravagant.  The Indian lingerie market is growing at an increasing rate of 16% and is sized at $3Bn at the moment. The plus size lingerie market will also soon pick up the desired pace and flourish to no limits in the foreseeable future.

The Indian plus size market has an immense growth potential especially because the customers are not served with all the available options and due to the growing awareness amongst the audience. Women have very few options when we talk about the plus size lingerie and 90% of women in the country still wear wrong size of bra. Brands that offer right product with fine quality to the consumers definitely have a lot of scope in this market since it is still an underserved region. Even when the customers find brands that would cater to their demands, the collection would still lack style, pattern and colour options. The products available to the audience currently are basic styles and patterns in colours like black, white and nude. The plus size market is now welcoming the idea of fancy and designer merchandise in not only bright and vibrant colour options but different prints and patterns. 

The biggest challenge in a country like India for plus size lingerie is lack of awareness amongst the target audience and the inability to understand the right measurement of lingerie. Plus size in lingerie is not to the band size, it is related to the cup size. Even though the plus size intimate apparel purchases in India is much more limited as compared to other sizes. The Indian women of today is bolder when it comes to aspirations. She is now choosy and has started giving importance to lingerie. Women look for options that would provide them with utmost comfort along with style and trend. 

Once a brand is able to understand demands of their consumers, they can fulfil them by providing what exactly the consumer needs. In order to introduce a new concept, product or range it is imperative that first the brand creates awareness and understands the market with need gap. The reason India can be called as a favourable market for the plus size lingerie is because of the supply demand discrepancy in the market. India is a developing market and any new brand entering the market has to create space for themselves, the brand that can satisfy customer needs and supply as per their demands.