Fibre2Fashion Magazine June 2018 June 2018 | Page 55

The natural outcome of these inter-related socio-economic factors is that retail gets the chance
to first grow, and then boom. Retailing is one of the most important sectors of the economy,
contributing 20 per cent to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country. The Indian retail
market is among the top five in the world and is expected to touch $2 trillion by 2025. The Union
government’s decision to allow 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in single-brand retail
has been a much-needed boost for the sector with several international players rushing headlong
into the beguiling Indian market. Apart from the conventional brick-and-mortar retail, the click-
and-mortar retail more commonly known as online retail, or e-tail, is also on a high-growth
trajectory courtesy the ongoing digital revolution in the country. India is expected to become the
fastest growing e-commerce market in the world with robust investment being its backbone. And,
intimatewear will be a key component.
Emerging Categories
Indian consumers are becoming increasingly aware of ensembles that they want to buy for any
specific occasion or a particular purpose. This has led to an increase in demand for special
categories such as shapewear, sleepwear, swimwear and athleisure. Among these, sleepwear has
already seen unprecedented growth in both branded and unbranded segments. However, other
categories such as shapewear and swimwear still present a lot of possibilities. Herein, there are
three promising categories.
  Sleepwear: The demand for sleepwear is continuously expanding with sleepwear emerging as
an essential clothing item and a fashion statement. Organised players have entered the segment
over the last few years with heavy investments in R&D seeking to augment their respective
product ranges and have since then come up with either new or better functionalities altogether.
Trendy sleepwear is now a mix of t-shirts, shorts, capris, pajamas and nightgowns along with the
conventional kurta-pajamas. Fabrics used for sleepwear are mainly of the cotton-blended type
(usually with prints). Still enough, a large part of the segment remains unorganised, which can
be tapped into by manufacturers and brands.
  Loungewear: Loungewear now is nightwear which can be easily converted into multi-purpose
daywear. For example, taking a morning walk in glam pajamas or wearing chic yet comfortable
capris/shorts and tee for a run. There is unexploited and unexplored potential in this segment
The lingerie basket of women has graduated from hopelessly-mismatched bras and panties to impeccably matching sets, bikinis, swimwear, shapewear, sportswear, loungewear and nightwear.
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