Innerwear is undoubtedly the most important clothing of anybody’s wardrobe. And, in recent years, this all essential garment has undergone great changes…from simple and plain lingerie to colourful and stylish, it has been through a roller coaster ride. And these days, there is also a little drama added to it. With more awareness comes various demands and brands are eager to cater to them, especially the young crowd. And, of course, it has also affected the bridal lingerie segment, which though niche, is an all-important and a fast growing one in the country as well. LnL delves into what the market looks like for this segment.
Her wedding is the most important and precious day for any bride; and just as attention needs to be paid to all the bridal outfits, jewellery, etc., it’s equally important to pay attention to the lingerie as well. So what is available in innerwear for a bride…”It’s your day, you’re going to be a bride, its time to pamper yourself and be a treat for your hubby to be,” smiles Riya Kalra, Co-Founder of Candyskin. “Your bridal collection is here to tantalise your fancies, with beautifully delicate and versatile patterns. We offer a range of bridal sets for every body type with different comfort aspects. You can pick from multi-colour bralette sets, lacy tubes sets, floral lacy sets or even lacy corsets as you fancy. Other than this, you can also pick a variety of printed pattern sets for a more fun and lively look,” she says while explaining about the offerings of the brand.
Mr Siddharth Grover, Director, Groversons Group says that they’ve seen the trends changing and consumers paying extra attention to every little detail during weddings. At Groversons Paris Beauty he says they are known to keep up with the latest trends and customers’ expectations and thus they cater to the latest lingerie fashion and provide their customers with their fresh and modern range of bridal lingerie. “We have introduced a new collection of Lacey padded bras and panty sets in bright colour options, especially for the brides-to-be. Apart from lingerie sets we also have a range of babydoll nightwear. All our designs, colours and patterns are carefully crafted keeping in mind the choices and preferences of brides,” he tells us.
Brand Sonari meanwhile offers lacy bras and bra-panty sets and nightwear in lace for the brides, says Mr Dipesh Kubadia, Director, Sonari.
Ms Shweta Verma, Head of Marketing, Triumph International, India and Sri Lanka sheds light on their bridal collection, “We have bra and brief sets in a variety of bridal fabrics and colours such as lace, tulle, floral embroidered etc. the perfect lingerie from an array of luxurious lace and classic designs to complement any wedding wardrobe.”
A bouquet of styles and colours:
Just as trends are ever-evolving in outerwear, there are different styles in bridal lingerie as well. “Lingerie too changes with the season; new colours, patterns and prints are added,” says Mr Grover. Wedding seasons are full of bright colours, shimmers, and lace. Last season Groversons Paris Beauty was all about non-padded, solids and printed bras and panties. For our bridal range, we introduce padded bridal lingerie. The demand for this season is of different back style lacey bras in bright colours,” he adds.
While Ms Kalra states that the lacy bralette sets are a crowd pleaser; its delicate pattern and vibrant look is all the craze. “Our Wildskin collection sets are a trending pick for a summer honeymoon daze,” she mentions.
While Mr Kubadia states that transparent, lacy and lycra sets are in demand. “Transparent net and sets run more than teddies as sets can be worn again; and full coverage lacy bras sell more,” he enlightens us about the styles that are in demand.
Ms Jagruti A Kadam, Co-owner, Akshaya Group, a retail store in Mumbai, which stocks a combination of Indian and international brands such as Little Lacy, Blue Nixie, Enamor, Amante, and Triumph says that lacy sets are the most selling in bridal lingerie. “Along with that if there are matching chemises or a full six-piece set, which includes undergarments with a net or satin shorts and spaghetti set with a chemise or a satin or a net robe, it’s great. Nowadays, fancy lacy bralettes are also in trend for brides to be,” she adds.
Mr Dipankar Dutta, Owner, Beyond Desire, a lingerie outlet in Kolkata that has brands such Triumph and Paris Beauty by Groversons says that lacy and fashionable panty and bra sets (padded and non-padded), satin and lacy bedroom nightwear, lace corsets, lace teddies, and chemise, are the styles in demand. However, he also says, “The sale of chemise and teddies sale is more vibrant in metropolitan cities because the customers there are more fashion oriented.”
On the other hand, Mr Umesh Vasisht, Director, Gopalsons Lingerie Pvt Ltd., a store in New Delhi that keeps Triumph, Amante, Enamor, Candyskin, and imported lingerie, says that the G-string, front pattern, back strings, and many other styles are what brides look for.
As for the colours, Ms Kalra cites that sexy blacks and colourful florals are most in demand in this segment. However, Mr Kubadia states that brides pick colours such as red, maroon, wine, light pink, rose pink, purple and the demand for white and black is there, but quite less.
While Mr Grover feels that Indian weddings are all about being extravagant, vibrant, and shimmery and that brides here prefer bold and outstanding colours that coordinate perfectly with their outfits. “Popular colour preferences for brides are maroon, scarlet, red and hot pinks. We have special lacy back patterns, heavily padded bra options, available in all these colours. Besides, we have some safe side preferences like nudes and whites,” he adds.
Ms Verma says that lace bra and brief have always been a favourite for brides to be, but this year, they have seen increased demand for Bralette styles. “This wire-free style gives the wearer a soft, gentle silhouette that appeals to the feminine side. Most Bralettes in the market have a lace element in their design, making them even more apt for a bridal trousseau,” she adds. Also, now she says that are seeing a demand for bridal lingerie that also serves a functional purpose. “Women have started to think beyond the boudoir and want pieces that they can wear in their everyday, such as bras that have comfortable spacer cups, comfort wired etc.,” she adds.
As for colours, Ms Verma states that while the classic colours such as skin, black and red are always in-demand, “off late we have seen a rise in a number of fashion colours such as deep blues, jewel green and bright pinks. Women are more aware of international trends such as pastels and are looking for varied colour options for their trousseau.”
The retail community too concurs with the manufacturers; Mr Vasisht says that black, fuchsia, red, white, peach are in demand while Ms Kadam states that red has always been most in demand for brides being the colour of love and an auspicious colour. She adds that along with red, nowadays, brides explore colours like baby pink, lilac, peach for the lighter shades and marsala, wine, navy blue for the dark shades. Mr Dutta too agrees and mentions that brides opt for black, red, white, and florals and at times also for purple, pink, violet, and blue.
Price Points:
A bride maybe ready to spend on lingerie yet each one has a budget chalked out and this naturally applies to her lingerie as well. Ms Kalra says that customers prefer a range between INR 999-3,500; Sonari’s bridal sets range from INR 500-700 and Mr Kubadia states that brides are ready to go up to INR 1,000 per item for bridal lingerie.
Ms Verma explains that this is not a price-sensitive segment as women want to invest is luxurious pieces that will make them feel special. “Our bridal collection ranges from INR 1599 to 1999 for a bra and brief set,” she mentions.
“While customers pay an outlandish amount for bridal lingerie sets, Groversons Paris Beauty caters to every segment of society. Our starting range is INR 999 onwards, which goes up to INR 3000 depending on the choice of consumers,” says Mr Grover.
Mr Dutta believes that those who look for premium bridal lingerie are willing to spend INR 1500-2500 and the mid-segment spends between INR 700-1500. Ms Kadam states that affordable bridal sets i.e., in the range of INR 1000-1500 rupees is the preference for the majority in this segment and in the premium segment bridal sets can go upto INR 2000-2500 as well. While Mr Vasisht opines that the price range people prefer is INR 400-4000.
Sales in the segment:
When it comes to sales, each brand has a different share in different styles. Mr Grover feels that lingerie the most understated garment in the entire bridal ensemble, often because either there is no price parity or collections available in this section. “While Groversons Paris Beauty offers a great variety of products we also provide an attractive 40 per cent sales in the lingerie set segment.
There are also offers and vouchers available for our baby doll nightwear collection,” he mentions.
Ms Kalra meanwhile mentions that in Candyskin, the sales of sets make up 50 per cent of the sales, Chemise are fast selling, high in demand and teddies are the trending pick this season. In Sonari, Mr Kubadia mentions that the sales of the bridal segment comprise of 15-20 per cent of the entire sales.
The retailers have a different take and Ms Kadam mentions that at Akshaya, sets and chemises have an equal share this season. “Teddies are not much popular right now in India but in the future there is a good market for it. If the percentage of bridal sets and chemises is 30 per cent, teddies is somewhere around 8-10 per cent only.”
At Gopalsons, the sale of sets, teddies etc is 20 per cent in this season, of the total sales, Mr Vasisht tells us, while Mr Dutta, though not giving a percentage, mentions that the percentage of lace corsets, lace teddies and chemise is average, compared to lacy bridal bras and satin / lacy bedroom nightwear.
And the brands that sell the most in this segment are Little Lacy, Enamor, Amante, and imported innerwear, say retailers. However, everything does depend on the choice and affordability of the customers.
The market at present:
The way the lingerie space is evolving, it seems that the market of bridal lingerie is quite exciting.
Mr Grover believes that the term bridal lingerie itself is a new term; it has been used in the industry for the past decade and now has become a raging shopping trend. “Brides these days’ love to experiment with colours, and fancy designs. Every leading lingerie brand these days is developing their collection on the basis of these tastes and specifications of consumers.” So, even Groversons has, over the years, developed their bridal collection and made it apt for the brides.
While Ms Kalra feels that the visibility and overall acceptance of lingerie has been increasing over the years and this year has been significantly better as compared to the last couple of years.
Mr Kubadia mentions that the market has been normal and there has not been a high jump this year; it may have increased by 5 per cent.
However Ms Verma believes that as is with the overall lingerie market, the bridal lingerie market has also seen robust growth. Consumers are becoming less price-sensitive and more open to experimenting with their bridal lingerie, she feels.
Ms Kadam is of the opinion that the bridal lingerie always had a special market in India but demonitisation, which took place in the year 2016, saw a reduced number of weddings in that year as well as the next year because Indians spend a fortune on their weddings. “However, after getting stabilised in the year 2018-19, this year the bridal market has again gained speed,” she adds.
However, Mr Dutta says that the market this year is quite dull compared to previous few years and this has an effect on bridal purchases to a certain extent as the customers have become very cautious about what they spend on. Mr Vasisht feels that compared to previous years, the bridal lingerie market has improved and the scales of sale have risen.
What the future holds…
There are mixed opinions about the current scenario in this segment by brands and retailers and it is the same where it concerns the growth of bridal lingerie as well. Ms Kalra though says that the scope for growth is vast in this market and in the next five years we see a 70-80 per cent market growth.
While Mr Grover, as he mentioned earlier, says that the bridal lingerie fashion is a very new style and thus there is a lot of scope to flourish and expand. “This market is evergreen because marriages in India is a huge affair. If we look at the current scenarios and preferences we can say this industry sees a minimum 10 per cent increment every year, and there is only more place to expand,” he believes.
And, according to Mr Kubadia , this segment will grow normal, about 5-10 per cent. “I don’t see a high jump. Earlier the perception was that people liked more colourful and transparent lingerie, but now it has changed and they want more simple but more elegant and more appealing bridal innerwear,” he adds.
Mr Dutta, on the other hand believes that if the market grows well as it is down now due the present economic situation, hopefully in the near future the market should grow on an average 25 to 30 per cent.
Mr Vasisht sees an increase of 10 to 15 percent in the coming years in the bridal segment while Ms Kadam agrees to this inference that the bridal lingerie market is increasing every year may be by 10-20 per cent because both Indian as well as international brands are focussing on this segment. “Also, today women have more affordable and trendy options to explore,” she says.
Then, there are brands such as Zivame, Clovis and Pretty Secrets too that cater to this niche segment. In fact, Zivame has a range of bras they suggest for the bride that are perfect to don at all the functions and rituals that makes for a big fat Indian wedding. Zivame has an eclectic mix of bralettes, the T-shirt bra, Deep Back bra, Strapless bra, High Impact Sports Bra (perfect for that fun sangeet night) to include in the bridal trousseau. All come in various prints and colours and the price range is over INR 200.
Clovia is another young brand that offers a range of bridal lingerie, from sets to nightwear, which even has 9-piece nightwear set. So, from underwired bras, padded and underwired bras to Balconettes, to non-padded, non-wired T-shirt bras, and string and bikini panties as well as hipsters, the brand has a wide range to pick from. Available in lace and satin, sheer and more, the collection comes in a plethora of colours as well for the bride. The price range starts from around INR 300 going up to almost INR 4,000 for sets.
Pretty Secrets, known for its lace and colourful lingerie, too has an interesting range in various styles such as backless and bikini briefs to alluring nightwear starting from almost INR 500 going up to INR 2,000.
To conclude, we can say that there’s a huge market for bridal lingerie in India and though some brands maybe sceptical about the growth trajectory, there certainly seems to be a void that is slowly getting filled by the young brands, the international ones and the old players as well in the Indian market.
Triumph’s bridal offerings
Those looking for a bridal style that is also highly functional, we have our Aqua Lily Spacer collection, with two-tone delicately embroidered Aqua Lily inspired lace. This bra is part of their Beauty-full segment, specially designed for fuller cups and features spacer cup technology with ultra-light breathable foam padding. The matching brief has delicate embroidery on the front and a sexy transparent lace back.
For those who prefer feminine styles, the Sexy Angel Spotlight series offers fine blossom embroidery with just the right amount of sheen to make any bride feel beautiful and elegant. The padded bra and hipster brief offer the perfect blend of a dreamy yet a highly comfortable design.
The new Lace Spotlight series from our AW ’19 collection is made for women who want to combine elegance with maximum comfort. Scalloped edges and encapsulated dramatic soft tulle lace combined with an elegant no-show mesh is what makes this style the perfect addition to any bridal wardrobe. There are two styles to choose from, a sensual non-padded wired bra and a trendy all-lace Bralette.
