Bra-ve new world
August 19, 2012 by admin
Filed under Choosing Lingerie
In five days leading to the launch of the iconic lingerie brand, Wonderbra, in India on August 8, its 100% pre-launch stock was sold out and nearly a lakh customers had visited the online retail store’s pre-booking page. If that isn’t surprising enough then a look at the e-tailer’s data on the geographical location of those who booked orders should definitely be eye-popping — besides the expected top 10 cities of India, there were customers from smaller centres like Jamshedpur, Bhopal, Mathura, Belgaum, Sholapur, Amritsar, Kanpur, Allahabad and Chitradurga.
The owners of the trademark, HanesBrands Inc, must be swelling with pride on this response to their product in a country where sheer numbers have spelt success for many a business since the opening up of the economy in 1991. The story, however, is deeper than that.
The alacrity with which Wonderbra — globally regarded as something that makes women feel sexy — has been received here says a lot about Indian women. They are changing, and no longer seem to be squeamish about their inner wear, keeping it at the bottom of their shopping list or buying it only when regular pairs come apart or choosing only from black, white or ‘skin’ colour. Of course, women in metropolitan India had begun their indulgence a while back but now the desire to feel sexy and shop for it uninhibited has made deeper inroads.
Adman and theatre personality Rahul daCunha says that the figures for Wonderbra’s initial outing in India speak volumes. “Indian women are still conventional despite their strides in professional fields but regardless of that, it’s a great sociological trend. It hints that women are not just getting bold in bed but also feeling confident of their bodies.” Fashion photographer Atul Kasbekar, best known for having shot an enviable number of sexy women in swimwear for Kingfisher calendars adds, “The Indian woman today is confident of her looks, her abilities at work and her body. She works out and is self-assured.”
Richa Kar, CEO of zivame.com, the exclusive Wonderbra retailer in India, says that the lingerie market in the country is set for a revolution, given the Indian woman’s desire to experiment with this intimate piece of clothing. “The most important development that has taken place over the past few years is that lingerie has begun to be connected with body positivity by Indian women. Bra is no longer just an everyday garment. Women now pick up lingerie for different occasions — a strapless bra is used on a different occasion from a minimiser bra, and so is the case with maternity bra,” she says. It’s not pricing but the requirement that dictates lingerie shopping today, adds Kar.
That’s a seminal pointer to a market that according to management consultants Technopak is growing at the CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 14% and is worth approx. Rs 8,700 crore. Branded lingerie market in India is divided into four segments — economy, mid, premium and super-premium of which 52% is the share of mid and premium segments. These two segments are also expected to grow the fastest at 22% CAGR over the next five years. Some bestselling brands in these segments include Hanes, Jockey, Daisy Dee, Juliet, FOTL, Enamor, Lovable and Amante.
Deconstructed, these figures mean that the average Indian woman, even if tucked away in Tier II and Tier III cities, has begun crossing the threshold from the days of dowdy underwear to glamorous lingerie —the change in the nomenclature says it all.
Kar says that she has been surprised at the recall value of brands like Ultimo and Wonderbra in their celeb context. “Our customers are aware of Ultimo as the brand Julia Roberts wore in her film Erin Brockovich. They are also aware of the iconic Wonderbra campaign featuring Eva Herzigova.” Kar is referring to the Hello Boys campaign that was voted the most iconic advert by a British agency last year and had made Herzigova a global star.
But that’s where the Indian anomaly lies — we don’t have a desi Roberts or Herzigova who would gladly endorse a lingerie brand. Lingerie models in India are nameless PYTs devoid of celeb quotient; a good lingerie campaign also doesn’t ensure stardom for them. “Lingerie still has stigma attached to it,” says Sathya Saran, former Femina editor, columnist and author. “You don’t discuss it in public. Even when Kareena Kapoor was size zero, I wonder if she would have come on screen wearing garters and stockings,” she adds. DaCunha recalls the 1995 Tuffs shoes ad that saw models Madhu Sapre and Milind Soman being dragged to court for obscenity. “They are still going to court. Moral policing prevents A-list actors and models from crossing the line,” he says. Kasbekar agrees: “There are many different vested interests that will not hesitate to get their 15 minutes of Andy Warhol fame’ by piling on to protests against outraging the modesty of the Indian woman.”
But Indian women seem to be more interested in buying sexy lingerie right now.
