Experience, Brand Identity Key for Challenged Corsetry Market, Say SIL Exhibitors

Yahoo

31-01-2025

PARIS — It had been another challenging year for many of the corsetry players gathered at the annual Salon International de la Lingerie and sister fabric and components show Interfilière here.
While several players said they had seen a renewed interest in elaborate, sexy styles that play a key part in French lingerie's brand identity — a shift since comfort-focused pandemic times — for most it had not been enough to counterweigh lackluster consumer sentiment and reduced spending.
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Within France, lingerie sales in the first 10 months of 2024 stood at 2.08 billion euros, which represented a decline of 1.8 percent in volume, according to data from Kantar for the Salon International de la Lingerie, which ran here from Jan. 18 to 20 at Porte de Versailles.
'2024 was a difficult year, as it was for the textile industry as a whole,' said Groupe Chantelle global chief creative officer Renaud Cambuzat.
'The context is very hard in France,' said Aubade brand and product manager Claire Masson. In other parts of Europe and in Asia, the market is also tough, she said, although several players reported the U.S. as a bright spot.
'Circana's expectations are for the U.S. intimate apparel market to grow 7 percent CAGR between now and 2030. That's very encouraging for all the designers showing here. I'm hearing an enthusiasm for the U.S. market that I haven't heard for a long time,' commented Raphaël Camp, managing director of Comexposium USA. 'The premium and high-end segment are doing amazingly well.'
Visitor numbers at the shows were roughly flat year-on-year, at about 16,000, according to organizer WSN. Some 220 brands exhibited at SIL, 37 percent of which were newcomers, while Interfilière welcomed 180 suppliers.
Market players reported an uptick in demand for high-end products and more elaborate styles.
'There is a major return of sexy lingerie, it represents a quarter of the offer in the Exposed section, for instance,' said show director Matthieu Pinet.
Organizer WSN debuted a partnership with fashion search engine Tagwalk this season, looking to pinpoint lingerie trends for fall 2025. Year-on-year, the research highlighted 229 percent growth for the keyword 'unveiled body,' a 45 percent gain for 'lace' and a 24 percent increase for 'transparency.'
'People are playing with lingerie like they play with fashion,' said Pinet.
'You see it a lot in the new generation of singers,' Masson highlighted. 'It's an affirmation tool, and it's really good for our industry.'
Lingerie brands also reported growing demand for pieces that double as ready-to-wear, as well as their loungewear selections, categories most have been growing incrementally to tap into the lingerie trend seen on the runways in recent seasons. Aubade had added a sequined blouse to its offer, for instance, that was proving popular.
Camp, in charge of sister event Curve Stateside, said demand in the sexy lingerie space is shifting upmarket. 'During COVID, sales of sexy products soared, especially online. Now there is demand for sexy with better quality and fit. Consumers are investing in more expensive products.'
Kimmay Caldwell, undergarment educator and founder of HurrayKimmay, who is working on a video concept with trade body Lingerie Française, has also noticed a shift toward more elaborate styles and increased willingness to spend.
'There's a rise in people really appreciating slow fashion and meticulous details; people's tastes are evolving,' she said. 'Now you have a consumer who is willing to spend over $200 on a bra.' She sees the shift as part of the broader self care trend. 'Lingerie is part of taking care of yourself; I see it as part of the wellness movement,' she said.
Simone Pérèle product director Stéphanie Bujard Pérèle commented, 'We're thrilled that elaborate lingerie is trending again, because that is our DNA.' Novelties from the brand included the reintroduction of its hit tattoo-effect embroidered tulle line, originally introduced a decade ago, a broad selection in peacock blues and greens, including silk loungewear.
It had been a good year for Lise Charmel, according to its director for North America Sandra Jones. '2024 was a very exciting year of growth for the group,' she said.
The label is looking to build on experience from its Café de Paris pop-up at Le Bon Marché last fall — initially planned for one month but so successful it stayed for nearly three. 'The café made us realize that consumers need attention, and to understand the fundamentals of what the brand is really about,' she explained.
With a setup including traditional Paris bistro woven chairs and marble-topped tables, the brand invited consumers to sit, have a drink and discover the label. 'So many retailers want the concept,' said Jones. 'For retailers, the challenge is how to retain your customer. We need to create a sense of belonging.'
The brand is exploring how to implement the concept more broadly, for instance through pop-ups and special events, taking a lead from the fashion market. 'It's nothing new, all the top brands in high fashion have developed such concepts,' said Jones.
Providing leads to help boutiques improve their in-store experience was also key to the show's organizers, who instead of a trend forum this year developed The Lingerie Shop, a space designed to offer inspiration on merchandising and suggestions among add-on categories like well-being and accessories.
At Aubade, Masson said cultivating an emotional reaction among consumers has become key. 'We really need to bring some emotion, and Aubade is a brand that's all about emotion,' she said.
The company is potentially looking to work with a smaller number of retailers, but with a broader offer, insisting brands buy a more extended selection of colors, for instance, to improve merchandising. 'It's important to create a visual impact for the customer,' she said. 'It's really a strategic question for retailers, should they list more brands or work less brands in more depth,' she said. 'When the visual merchandising is really well done, we can explain the story to the consumer better.'
'It's really difficult for retailers,' commented Xavier Martin, Maison Lejaby's new managing director since it was bought out of administration last year. 'They really need us to be close to them, on the ground,' he commented, adding that one of his main strategic priorities is reinforcing his marketing and sales teams.
The company has preserved its design studio near Lyon and is planning a major relaunch with a stronger emphasis on innovation and newness, with an initial focus on the domestic market. 'We need to turn the page and renew confidence in the brand,' said Martin. 'Demand is still there, and the brand is well respected, but it will take two to three years to earn the trust of boutiques once more.'
Newcomers to the show included U.K.-based Karma on the Rocks, with its brightly hued loungewear offer, which is expanding into multibrand boutiques after establishing its presence in key department stores over the three years since its launch, and luxury nightwear label Candice Fauchon, from Paris. Ukrainian label Anoeses focused on eroticism, combining an offer of latex, leather and textile pieces handmade to order with fragrances and candles. Xphemism, another label from Ukraine launched just three months ago, stood out for its hybrid between underwear and streetwear, with layered and strapped bras and bodies designed to be paired with baggy jeans. Understance, from Canada, presented its size-inclusive lingerie offer. Aimer Chuang, part of Chinese group Aimer, was testing the waters in Europe, and U.S.-based Kiki de Montparnasse was looking to relaunch its international business after a change in management.
As for trends for fall 2025, brands, designers and buyers present highlighted a more diverse color offer as well as animal motifs, introduced for instance by Chantelle as part of its Pulp collection. At Aubade, a rich brown lace look in a feline motif was one of the standouts for buyers, Masson said, as the brand leaned into what she described as the comforting 'latte' trend. Peacock blues, deep greens, raspberry and lavender shades, gold details and strapping were among further trends.
'Color has become so necessary to stand apart,' said Caldwell. 'I'm also seeing lots of straps, layers and geometry, it's less simple.'
On the sidelines of the show, certain brands hosted independent showrooms, including heritage corsetry brand Gossard, owned by Austria's Huber Holding and relaunching after several dormant years.
'The credibility of the brand is very large,' said Martina Brown, in charge of strategic project management and new business at Huber Holding. 'It combines the French corsetry expertise and an American sense of comfort… We're planning quite a high marketing budget because young people don't know the brand.'
Feedback from major retailers about the brand's relaunch collection for fall 2025, inspired by Sarah Bernhardt, has been strong, Brown said. The company is also recruiting in Europe to reinforce distribution, she said, and will benefit from distribution synergies with Huber stablemate Hanro, 'which has the same target distribution but complementary products,' she said.
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