Chantelle Soft Stretch
For many working at home has meant a change in their underwear wearing habits. Whilst no-one in the intimate apparel business would advocate going braless (God forbid!) there has been a huge shift in types of underwear that women are buying both during the lockdown and going back to work. The two winners in 2020 are what are loosely called ‘comfy bras’ and sports bras (both for exercise and for comfortable support).
Of course, underwired bras are not going to disappear any time soon and they are still a popular choice for many consumers, but with the lockdown and less of ‘dressing’ to go to work consumers have been trying other softer options that they may previously thought would not be supportive enough, especially if they have a large cup size. And surprise is that even some die-hard wired bra wearers are finding something to like. It is new developments in manufacturing and new ‘smart’ fibres and yarns that enable soft cup and no wires bras to offer a degree of support never seen before.
Sales of comfy bras and sports bra have been consistently high during the second quarter of 2020 at leading e-commerce site, Figleaves.com. Similar results have been reported by Bravissimo.com who cater for larger sizes and still have the bulk of their sales in underwired garments but are reporting significant growth in non-wired bras and comfortable styles. And Chantelle took the UK market by storm when it introduced its Soft Series of bras and pants (second skin feeling) a few seasons ago – with one size to fit all (XS-XL, XL-4XL). A Panache spokesperson also reports that their sports bra sales have increased exponentially during the crisis as well as sales of their non-wired bras such as their popular Andorra style. Sloggi introduced the Zero Feel soft cup bras a few years ago and they have proven consistently popular. And the prices of these styles are surprisingly reasonable and a good repeat buy in different colours.
The obvious question arises – comfy maybe, attractive not so much! That is a bit of a misconception now as there loads of stylish options (from halter necks to crop tops, loads of lace or jersey, velvet and silky touch). And for those who prefer a slightly more structured approach there are literally hundreds of options on the market which are far from dull and boring. Freya Fancies have a great looking bralette and for a bit more luxury, the Wacoal Embrace series has a truly sensational soft cup lace bra.
Triumph’s Fit Smart bra
But as they say timing is everything – in Spring 2020 Triumph introduced their new Fit Smart Bra – a wire free design that adapts to a woman’s breast shape and promises ultimate comfort all day long. Enabled by the use of LYCRA®s FitSense™ technology the styles offer comfort, a softer profile, lift and adaptable fit – a fit designed to cater for women whose breast size fluctuates throughout the month. Royce Lingerie who only produce and sell non-wired bras say that sales via their own website and their retail partners’ websites have been heavily in demand.
Wire free underwear sales were already increasing before COVID-19 (the proliferation of bralette styles holds testimony to that) and with many women either working from home or on furlough for over 3 months, there has been a relaxation not just in dress code (evidence the incredible uptake in loungewear) but also in underwear dressing. It is inevitable that some of these consumers will have been converted to soft and non-wired styles and will not want to return to what they may view as more constrictive garments. Fuelled by the need to be kind to yourself and wellness trend, good fitting and properly fitted underwear is still absolutely essential but softer bras look set to be the consistent trend for the rest of 2020 and beyond.
