Remember the harrowing experience of
innerwear shopping in India till just a few
years ago? Especially for women folk. For
them, it shopping for intimate apparel was
an absolutely fl eet-footed aff air – they either
hustled through the few insipid options laid
out or had to be content with whatever the
salesperson compelled them to buy. Choices
were a distant second in a scenario when
even getting the size right whilst evading
ubiquitous stares was beyond the bounds of
possibility.
But, fortunately, times are changing and
how! All that remains of these past shopping
experiences are anachronistic anecdotes.
Time it did take but innerwear, fi nally, is out
of the closet and is taking giant strides to
becoming an exclusive fashion category in
India.
The evolution is apparent in both the market
and the consumer. While the consumer
righteously considers innerwear as a
fashion statement today, the market too has
emancipated itself from its unorganised retail
hegemony. The innerwear industry is now
amongst the most lucrative segments in apparel
fashion for brands, retailers and investors alike.
The market today is pegged at `32,000 crore,
growing at a CAGR of 11 percent and accounts
for ~9 percent of the total domestic fashion retail
market.
The rapid transformation of the category has
led it to branch out into several sub-categories,
with each of them setting standards on their
own now. Also, a slew of international, young
and dynamic national brands have impinged on
the arena, ushering in a phenomenal trend that
has compelled the entire industry to spruce up
off erings both in terms of products as well as
experiences.
This had led to an increased popularity and
demand of innerwear as a whole and has result
is an increase in the importance of the category
amongst retailers of all sizes and kinds.
Like always, this innerwear special issue
features indepth insights into the market, trends,
innovations and technologies that this segment
has spawned in the recent years. As always we
hope you fi nd the issue informed and benefi cial.
Happy Reading
The June issue of Images Business of Fashion is led by a research on the Indian casualwear market, its size, growth, evolution and key trends and opportunities and growth over the years. The issue also talks to smart casual leaders like the Denmark-based clothing company–Bestseller, Raymond Apparel Ltd’s Parx, and French born fashion major Celio. It also features Tom Tailor’s online collaboration for India. The issue puts together our pick on of the most eye-catching ad campaign of the season—the smart one on a new look for every day of the week by Vero Moda. In the InFashion section of the magazine, Dan Cotton, EVP APAC, WGSN shares insights on the new trend watching feature WGSN IN Stock. This section also looks at how palazzo trousers are making a style statement, be it casual or Indian ethnic section among different age groups of women. We also take a look at some new launches, seminars and conferences that created a lot of buzz.
