Beijing: Comfort is gaining the sexual appeal of the Chinese bra market as women increasingly choose wireless and more comfortable bras as part of a possible shift in the global market.
According to the South China Morning Post, this trend occurs in the Western market, where the trend of sports and leisure helps to improve comfort.
“Meeting your own needs rather than pleasing others is definitely a trend for today’s female consumers,” said Liu Lianjie, founder of Dare One, a one-year-old lingerie startup. The success of this startup proves the importance of comfort – the company will invest tens of millions of yuan this year and operate four physical stores. It is planned to grow to 30 by 2019.
According to CBNData and Tmall, sales of wireless bras in China have increased by 70%. Pascal Martin, a partner at OC&C Strategy Consulting, said the growth was driven by young consumers. “Young women’s insatiable curiosity about global trends and brands, coupled with strong spending power, make them a very attractive customer target for lingerie brands.”
However, this shift is not just for comfort. The aesthetic standard seems to be shifting from sexy to the wearer’s personal satisfaction. A Hong Kong designer, Peggy Marlene Lim, spoke to SCMP, pointing out that the older generation and the younger generation are more focused on comfort and fabric, and “they look more natural than the wire cover.”
At present, China’s $43.42 billion underwear market is still dominated by large Western brands, which are doing business in first-tier cities. As this trend grows with the growing prosperity of low-tier cities, Frost and Sullivan estimates that by the end of 2020, the total market value of Chinese underwear will reach $64.49 billion.
Only one of the top ten brands in the Chinese market is from China. Neiwai mainly sells Tmall and JD.com and is rapidly expanding through marketing “higher sex”, just as founder Liu Xiaolu told China Daily.
“It’s a bit exaggerated to call it a feminist. But I want to create a brand that doesn’t distort, suppress or objectify the female body. Instead, it makes them feel comfortable and happy, I think it’s a higher sex. Form,” she said.
For the brand, the offer has changed and the retail experience has changed. Matteo Veronesi, CEO of Calzedonia Group, told the Post that his brand releases new products every week. “This helps us maintain a constant dialogue and relationship with our customers.”
At the same time, the American brand Third Love, reported by WARC earlier this summer, aims to win a comfortable battle by using its consumers’ detailed questionnaires. This information covers previous bra sizes, sources of discomfort and more nuances such as shape. This information will then be used to create the products that the audience wants.
