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For India’s largest lingerie e-tailer, privacy pays
September 19, 2015 by admin
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BENGALURU – Discretion is paying off for India’s largest online lingerie retailer Zivame: its sales have risen five-fold in the four years since its launch and just last week, it received $40 million in funding from local and foreign investors.
The start-up is one of several e-tailers cashing in on the awkwardness many middle-class women feel buying underwear in public in this deeply conservative society.
It now plans to further boost sales by opening 100 “fitting salons” over the next three years where clients can get measured before making purchases online, its founder told Reuters.
“We made it cool to talk about lingerie,” Richa Kar, who is also Zivame’s chief executive, told Reuters. “We answered the question of whether lingerie is worth investing in.”
Physical stores ring in the bulk of the sales in India’s 110 billion rupees ($1.7 billion) lingerie market. These shops, however, range from pricey boutiques in glitzy malls to streetside stalls and makeshift shops where the sales assistants are often men.
Many women say websites give them a discreet, budget-friendly and comfortable alternative, fueling growth in the online lingerie sector which consultants Technopak estimate at 70 percent a year, albeit from a small base.
The overall lingerie sector is growing at 16 percent, they added.
Zivame is currently valued at around $100 million.
Other online lingerie retailers in India include Pretty Secrets and Clovia.
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Plus-size model Ashley Graham’s lingerie line shows sexy doesn’t have to mean …
September 19, 2015 by admin
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Ashley Graham is living proof that sexy doesn’t have to mean skinny — the plus-size fashion model recently strutted down the runway in her very own lingerie line for New York Fashion Week.
The 27-year-old, an advocate for positive body image among women of all sizes, stunned the crowd in flattering undergarments and a lace kimono, part of her new Holiday Black Orchid and Modern Boudoir collections. She teamed up with Canadian plus-size retailer Addition Elle to launch Ashley Graham Lingerie in 2013, but the line is new to the U.S. this fall.
“It was absolutely amazing, I still have chills from how well it went!” Graham told TODAY.com of Tuesday’s show, adding that she launched the line because she had trouble finding lingerie that fit her body and looked good, too.
RELATED: Ashley Graham gives empowering TED Talk on body acceptance
“For the longest time I could find supportive bras and I could find sexy bras, but never both,” she said. “I wanted to create a line that did both and made [women] feel beautiful.”
Graham, a size 16, is famous for appearing in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition as a plus-size model, and for speaking up about the body issues women and girls face — and why curves aren’t a bad thing.
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“A lot of females — of all ages — come to me for advice on how to gain confidence,” she said. “There aren’t many women talking about their imperfections like I am, and I’m happy to be that voice telling women, ‘Hey, it’s OK to have cellulite. It’s natural!’”
“Think and speak positively about your body and other women’s bodies,” Graham added. “And never compare yourself to someone else. There is no right size and there is no wrong size. We are all built differently, and that’s a good thing! Celebrate and embrace your differences.”
Graham’s line was among several featured by Addition Elle in the show, sponsored by Kia Style360. The retailer has also teamed up with another famous plus-size model on a new line: Nadia Aboulhosn. Her collection of fall staples like black dresses, skinny pants and sweaters launches next week at Lord Taylor stores.
RELATED: Plus-size blogger’s video of Beyonce song proves everyone is ‘flawless’
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