U.S. Market for Women's Intimate Apparel (Lingerie)

U.S. Market for Women's Intimate Apparel (Lingerie)

This report is an in-depth look at the U.S. market for women’s intimate apparel, estimated at $9.6 billion in 2007. In the past 20 years, lingerie has blossomed from a commodity into a huge money-making segment of apparel retailing, thanks in large part to lingerie retailing pioneer and marketing machine Victoria's Secret. Many merchants at major department stores and a slew of catalogs, including Newport News and Spiegel, and e-commerce businesses, including Figleaves.com and Barenecessities.com, are now cashing in on the lingerie bonanza.

Even specialty stores that have never done lingerie in the past are developing strong lingerie alliances, whether branded or private label. Other retailers, recognizing that the lingerie market has higher profit margins than regular apparel, are launching new lingerie lines and giving their older products a makeover. Lingerie vendors are focusing more on their alliances with lingerie specialty stores as compared to department stores.

This report analyzes the competitive landscape of the market, profiles the major lingerie makers and retailers and discusses their key business strategies. It also analyzes the major trends prevalent in the lingerie market. The information contained in this study was compiled from both primary and secondary research, including consultation with industry experts, on-site inspections of major retail outlets, analysis of information from trade press, apparel and organic-product trade associations, retail journals, marketer publications and press releases, and other relevant sources. Sales figures are based on a comprehensive evaluation of various current market estimates and growth trends. 
 

Chapter 1 Executive Summary

• Scope and Methodology
  
  
• Market in Perspective
  
  
• Women’s Intimate Apparel Weathering the Storm
  
  
  
  
  
  • U.S. Companies in the Market
    
    
  • Slow and Steady Growth After Poor 2008
  
  
  
  
• Factors Influencing the Market
  
  
  
  
  
  • Luxury Segment Has Grown, But Faces Slowdown
    
    
  • Economy, Housing, Oil Prices and Inflation are a Drag
    
    
  • Online Sales Grow Despite a Struggling Economy
    
    
  • Internet is Used for Purchasing and Research
    
    
  • Continuing Retail Consolidation
    
    
  • Innerwear as Outerwear
    
    
  • Innerwear for Teens a Growing Sector
    
    
  • Growth in Sexy Lingerie and Adult Novelties
    
    
  • Plus-Size Lingerie Still Going Strong
    
    
  • Intimate Apparel for Maternity, Mastectomy
    
    
  • Sustainable Undies Part of an Environmentally Friendly Movement
  
  
  
  
• The Competitive Situation: War on Victoria’s Secret
  
  
  
  
  
  • Limited Brands/Victoria’s Secret: Sales Down at Retailing Giant
    
    
  • Maidenform: Sales of $417 Million in Everyday Undies
    
    
  • Hanesbrands: Net Sales of $4.5 Billion in 2007
    
    
  • Warnaco: Net Revenues Approach $1.9 Billion in 2007
    
    
  • Fruit of the Loom: Net Revenues Nearly $1 Billion in 2007
  
  
  
  
• Manufacturing, Distribution and Retail
  
  
  
  
  
  • Apparel Industry Is Concentrated
    
    
  • Continuing Trend Toward Overseas Manufacturing
    
    
  • Globalization of Apparel Retailing
    
    
  • Apparel Retail Channels: Department Stores Still #1 Choice for Women
    
    
  • General Merchandisers Still Dominant
  
  
  
  
• Key Intimate Apparel Retailers
  
  
  
  
  
  • Wal-Mart: Bad Times are Good
    
    
  • Target: Chip Chic
    
    
  • JCPenney: Updating and Upscaling
    
    
  • Victoria’s Secret: Competitors Take a Bite Out of Profits
    
    
  • Frederick’s of Hollywood: Back From Bankruptcy
  
  
  
  
• The Consumer: What Do Women Want?
  
  
  
  
  
  • One-Third of Women Shop at Department Stores
    
    
  • Price is Important to Women of All Ages
    
    
  • Affluent Women Are Cost-Conscious Too
    
    
  • Younger Women Want Style, Older Women Want Comfort and Value
    
    
  • Where Do They Shop?
    
    
  • Playtex Bras Preferred for Comfort and Durability
    
    
  • Olga Bras Command Highest Brand Loyalty
    
    
  • Liz Claiborne Panties Rank Highest in Brand Loyalty
    
    
  • Donna Karan #1 for Fashion and Non-Essential Purchases
  
  
  
  
• Opportunities
  
  
  
  
  
  • Creating a Dynamic Retail Experience
    
    
  • E-Commerce Will Grow at Slower, But Still Impressive Rate
    
    
  • Continued Growth of Plus-Size Apparel
    
    
  • Strong Growth in Sustainable Apparel Through 2012
    
    
  • Good Corporate Citizens Will Be Rewarded
    
    
  • Intelligent Fabrics, Wearable Technology and Smart Bras

Chapter 2 The Market

• Highlights
  
  
• Market Parameters
  
  
• Methodology
  
  
• Categories and Segments
  
  
  
  
  
  • Apparel Essentials
    
    
  • Sexy Lingerie
  
  
  
  
• Distribution and Retail
  
  
  
  
  
  • Distribution Channels
    
    
  • Retail Channels
    
    
  • Mass Retail
    
    
  • Specialty Retail
    
    
  • Branded Merchandise
  
  
  
  
• The Consumer
  
  
  
  
  
  • A Brief History of Women’s Intimate Apparel
    
    
  • Who Wears Bras?
    
    
  • Why Go Bra-less?
    
    
  • Ways of Wearing (and Not Wearing) Underwear
  
  
  
  
• Intimate Apparel Product Definitions
  
  
  
  
  
  • Bras
    
    
  • Panties
    
    
  • Shapewear
    
    
  • Other Intimate Apparel Terms
    
    
  • Types of Fabric
  
  
  
  
• Market Size and Growth
  
  
  
  
  
  • Market in Perspective
    
    
  • U.S. Apparel Sales Down in 2008 …
    
    
  • … After Modest Growth in 2007
  
  
  
  
• Women’s Intimate Apparel Weathering the Storm
  
  
  
  
  
  • U.S. Companies in the Market
    
    
  • U.S. Production Down
  
  
  
  
• Projected Sales of $11 Billion by 2013
  
  
• Factors Impacting Future Growth
  
  
• Luxury Segment Has Grown, But Faces Slowdown
  
  
• Effects of National Economy, Housing, Oil Prices, Inflation
  
  
  
  
  
  • Declining Housing Prices Make Consumers Feel Poorer
    
    
  • Rising Consumer Price Index is Bad News
    
    
  • Consumer Confidence Down
    
    
  • Consumers Postponing Purchases
  
  
  
  
• Online Activity a Boon, Not a Threat
  
  
• Online Sales Grow Despite a Struggling Economy
  
  
• Online Sales of Women’s Intimate Apparel Also Growing
  
  
• Top Website Destinations for Women’s Apparel Shoppers
  
  
• Victoria’s Secret Is Top Apparel Retailer on the Web
  
  
• Internet is 411 for Purchasing Decisions

Chapter 3 Trends

• Highlights
  
  
• Overview
  
  
• Continuing Trend Toward Retail Consolidation
  
  
  
  
  
  • Fewer and Larger Retailers Dominate
    
    
  • Retailers Rely on Private Labels, Standalone Stores
  
  
  
  
• Fashion Trends
  
  
  
  
  
  • Innerwear as Outerwear
    
    
  • Innerwear for Teens a Growing Sector
    
    
  • Luring Fickle Young Buyers: Pink, Aerie and Gilly Hicks
  
  
  
  
• Specialty Lingerie Growing Fast
  
  
  
  
  
  • Growth in Sexy Lingerie and Adult Novelties
    
    
  • Plus-Size Lingerie Segment Still Going Strong
    
    
  • Intimate Apparel for Maternity, Mastectomy
  
  
  
  
• Sustainable Undies Part of an Environmentally Friendly Movement
  
  
  
  
  
  • Sustainability: A Movement, Not a Trend
    
    
  • What Is Sustainable Apparel?
    
    
  • Fibers and Materials for Sustainable Apparel
    
    
  • A Variety of New, Eco-Friendly Innerwear Products
    
    
  • The Greening of High-End Apparel
    
    
  • Big Retailers Enter the Green Market
    
    
  • Sustainable Apparel Market Share by Type of Retail Outlet
    
    
  • International Sustainable Apparel Market Estimated at $3 Billion
    
    
  • Sustainable Apparel a Small Fraction of Global Apparel Market

Chapter 4 The Competitive Situation

• Highlights
  
  
• What Exactly Is Victoria’s Secret?
  
  
• The Rise of New Players
  
  
• Seven Competitive Profiles Follow
  
  
• Competitive Profile: Limited Brands/Victoria’s Secret
  
  
  
  
  
  • Overview
    
    
  • Limited Brands
    
    
  • Sales Down at Retailing Giant
    
    
  • New Focus on Personal Care and Intimate Apparel
    
    
  • Victoria’s Secret
    
    
  • The Creation of a Marketing Machine
    
    
  • Eye on Expansion
    
    
  • Sales Slide
    
    
  • Direct Sales Growth
  
  
  
  
• Competitive Profile: Maidenform
  
  
  
  
  
  • Sales of $417 Million in Everyday Undies
    
    
  • Roaring Back After Bankruptcy: 10% Annual Growth Since 2002
    
    
  • Basically, the Basics
    
    
  • Mass Merchandising Key to Market Share
    
    
  • Sales Breakdown
    
    
  • An Everyday Comfort Image
  
  
  
  
• Competitive Profile: Hanesbrands
  
  
  
  
  
  • Net Sales of $4.5 Billion in 2007
    
    
  • Innerwear is 57% of Net Sales
    
    
  • Quality, Style, High Turnover, Low Price
    
    
  • Multi-Channel Distribution
    
    
  • A Leader in Intimate Apparel
    
    
  • The Amazing Wonderbra
    
    
  • Sell More, Spend Less, Generate Cash
    
    
  • A Push Toward Sustainability
  
  
  
  
• Competitive Profile: Warnaco
  
  
  
  
  
  • Net Revenues Approach $1.9 Billion in 2007
    
    
  • Back From the Abyss
    
    
  • Sportswear, Swimwear and Innerwear
    
    
  • Calvin Klein Brand Becoming Bigger Chunk of the Business
    
    
  • A Diversified Retail Channel
    
    
  • Competitive Profile: Fruit of the Loom/Vanity Fair Brands
    
    
  • Net Revenues Nearly $1 Billion in 2007
    
    
  • Low, Low Prices
    
    
  • Six Small Specialty Companies to Watch
    
    
  • E-Commerce
    
    
  • Barenecessities.com: $35 million in Revenues
    
    
  • Frette.com: Online Lingerie Sales Jump 77% in One Year
    
    
  • Figleaves.com: $49 million in Revenues
    
    
  • Sexy/Trashy
    
    
  • Leg Avenue: Fantasy and Everyday Innerwear
    
    
  • Upscale Specialty
    
    
  • Zovo Lingerie: $1 Million in Sales

Chapter 5 Manufacturing, Distribution and Retail

• Highlights
  
  
• Overview
  
  
• Apparel Manufacturing
  
  
• U.S. Manufacturing in Decline
  
  
• Continuing Trend Toward Overseas Manufacturing
  
  
• China #1 in U.S. Apparel Imports, But Vietnam Surging
  
  
• Public Sentiment Against Sweatshops
  
  
• Distribution Dynamics
  
  
• Globalization of Apparel Retailing
  
  
• Trade Liberalization Influences Textile Manufacturing
  
  
• Apparel Retail Channels
  
  
• Department Stores Still #1 Choice for Women
  
  
• General Merchandisers