Luxury lingerie; a booming market

If the luxury market has been suffering of late under gloomy economic times, one trend which seems to have reaped benefits is luxury lingerie. Infact the underwear is seeing such a boom in sales, industry insiders are comparing it to

the Iipstick theory, once devised, in an unstable economy, by the Estee Lauder company that when a recession hits, women treat themselves to small luxury items.

It’s a trend hitting both department stores such as Selfridges and online niche lingerie sites, such as Fox and Rose.

Fox and Rose co-founder Amanda Lorenzani says: “Consumers are tempted by expensive lingerie as they opt to spend more free time at home ... Sales at Fox & Rose in November grew 130 per cent on last year’s figures.”

And it’s the pricier pieces faring the best as these times are seeing consumers most interested in pieces of high technique, craftmanship and trend references. So high end items from Stella McCartney are flying from stores and designer collaborations such as Jean Paul Gaultier for La Perla. And with fine unexpected luxury fabrics sourced across Europe, hand stripped netting, laser techniques, prices can reach into the £1000 mark.

Helen Attwood, lingerie buying manager at Selfridges, says: “Lingerie is essentially a technical garment and it takes real craft and workmanship to make it by hand. The best design will push boundaries, use surprising details and play with trends in the same way as ready-to-wear. At the moment the 1950s pin-up look is still a big influence, with the longer-line bra and more generous knickers. Then there’s the quality of the fabric – Calais or Italian lace are particularly special.”

It is a sign of the times that people want something less disposable and the market is going so strong that Anglo-French fashion house, Worth, even showed a couture underwear collection at the past London Fashion Week.