M&S adds ‘sexy lingerie’ to shelves of beige underwear
MARKS & Spencer has long been the go-to shop for reliable and functional underwear, but it is now attempting to shake off its beige bra image by adding a “sexy lingerie” section to its website.
The high street retailer said the addition had been driven by customer demand, with searches arches on its website for the category increasing in recent months.
M&S is the market leader in underwear, and while often seen as the place for comfortable briefs and functional bras, this is far from its first brush with glamour. It has, for some years, boasted the supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as the face of its lingerie collections.
Soozie Jenkinson, on, head of lingerie design at the retailer, said Boutique, its newest line of undergarments, which launched a fortnight ago, is designed to be “playful and fun” and appeal to women of all shapes and sizes.
She added: “Back in March, customers were looking for comfy lingerie, and that was the number one driver of purchases but we started to notice after a few months that customers were looking for slightly more glamorous lingerie. When we are designing lingerie, we are aiming for one great range for women of any age so that anyone, whether they are a younger customer or young at heart, can buy into it, and we try to be as inclusive as possible.”
Chana Baram, of retail re analyst Mintel, said: “People might look to a brand like M&S for reliable underwear rather than for pieces that are a little more exciting. But they have tried several things to sh show they are also for a slightly younger audience. [ The new online section] also struck me as a way of showcasing diversity and empowerment for women. “A lot of the models are very realistic women women. It’s not the outdated way of showing ‘ perfect’ figures that no one can relate to.
“A lot of brands seem to market women’s underwear to men, even though it’s mostly bought by women.”