Lingerie brands Daisy Dee, Lovable strengthen their position

One of India’s leading innerwear brand Daisy Dee, from the house of Lovable, is all set to give new entrants a run for their money. The flagship brand, Lovable, is getting a makeover in terms of its positioning. The company has tied up with Lovable Italy to make it appeal to the upper strata of the society. Daisy Dee, on the other hand, will continue to cater to the middle classes like earlier albeit more aggressively.

Lovable Italia will be priced at Rs 1,500 and above and will be available in different fabrics. Both Daisy Dee and Lovable are made in Bangalore at the company’s facility. Every day, 3,500 dozen bras and 1,700 dozen panties are made. This homegrown lingerie industry is very small. Most companies which cater to women are at or below Rs 100 crores.

Online makes things easier

Ashok Reddy, President feels, “Online buying has become an important element of shopping today as it is more convenient. This is carving out a large share from MBOs and large formats. What works in favour of online retailing of lingerie is that its easy return clause and no embarrassment issues. That’s why online retailers are opening stores and promising same day delivery. That also means the lines are getting blurred.”

Reddy says in the last decade or so, there has been a huge change in the dressing habits of young girls. Earlier, most women and young girls wore salwar kameez but now they prefer western wear. This has impacted lingerie buying habits. With western wear, women need padded and seamless bras. That’s the kind of change that’s happening. “Within the industry there is a change from seamed bras to seamless bras and from seamless to padded bras. What’s happened in the last six or seven years is remarkable compared to what has happened 50 years before. This is because younger girls are going the western way,” he explains.

Reddy says, “India is among the leading lingerie makers in the world. Even a small country like Sri Lanka caters to almost all labels of the world, it is a hub. Raw material base India is rather bad, especially when it comes to fabrics. So, we still depend on imports. We need a larger raw material base or friendly import policies. As of today, very few premium brands have become profitable.”

Lovable and Daisy Dee cater to different segments. Lovable is present in all the verticals. It is retailed through in 225 to 250 department stores and 10 portals in addition to its own website. The brand has 3,500 MBOs, two EBOs. Another 10 EBOs will open the next financial year. These EBOs will be in metros. Lovable has a pan India presence in metros like Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. The brand is also exported to the Gulf.