FASHION BUSINESS
GLOBAL SLEEPWEAR MARKET
An Analyses of the Driving Forces
In the past few years, sleepwear has emerged as a major business opportunity, valuing between US $ 30 billion to US $ 40 billion globally. The category itself cited 18.8 per cent growth in the last year – which perches it among other top categories, such as activewear( which saw 18.2 per cent growth) and footwear( that’ s recorded a growth of 15.9 per cent).
As far as assortments go, data collected by Edited, states that 70 per cent of the entire sleep apparel retails on the mass market with only about 5 per cent passing off as luxury. 20.5 per cent of this assortment is sold as a set, with an equal emphasis across pyjama sets, robes and nighties.
Transitional sleepwear – one that doubles as nightwear and
Opportunity area: Bridal nightwear and bachelorette sets | Missguided loungewear, is having its moment at present.
The sleepwear category should be looking at bridging the gap between bed-time and home-time so as to provide consumers with the opportunity to be creative and mix pieces up.
The silhouettes shy away from traditional pyjama styles towards more structured pant style pieces, in cotton, in satin that focus on comfort.
“ I strongly feel that the strappy one-piece nightie is going to be a big hit – we are doing a lot of them in knit which can also be translated as loungewear pieces. The classic shirt and pyjama in satins are also front-runners,” said Swati Gupta, Founder of Papillon, a nightwear brand based in India.
Another area that is a hot cake for those who are looking to enter this category is bridal sleepwear. Bridal nightwear is growing online, with a market share that boasts a 4 per cent increase in the last two years. The trend encompasses newlyweds, honeymooners and even bachelorette gangs. Silk nighties and nightgowns cater to the brides directly, while personalised bridal party sets, pyjamas and robes serve the bachelorette market.
“ In India, when it comes to bridal, people do spend. I’ ve customised a few pieces for some clients where I experimented with nice camisole pieces and strappy one-piece nighties in silk, and they did not restrict the budget. For bridal, people want to spend on such pieces,” Gupta added.
A huge potential for opportunity lies in the domestic market, where the
36 Apparel Online India | AUGUST 16-31, 2018 | www. apparelresources. com