Southeast Asia: Triumph touts underwear as fashion

The underwear market is projected to grow 10 to 15 per cent this year as underwear is increasingly viewed as a fashion item, to be updated and matched with outerwear, said Montira Ekarat, product manager for intimate apparel. Besides its mass market Triumph and premium Maximiser brands, the company also markets Beedees in Thailand, which is aimed at the teenage market.

The campaign for the Maximiser 'Dangerous curves' collection is spearheaded by a provocative TVC entitled 'Dare to be dangerous'. The TVC is backed by a print campaign, in-store activities and purchase promotions.

"We plan to launch a new (Maximiser) collection each month," said Montira.

Company research shows that Thai women now buy two sets of underwear a month, and tastes have changed from fairly conservative, to "trendy and sexy", she said.

Maximiser was introduced in Thailand three years ago to cater to "25 to 35-year-old working women who want to be fashionable and confident and dare to expose the beauty inside", Montira said. The brand now makes up 15 per cent of Triumph's lingerie business, and sales so far indicate that it is growing "above the market rate".

Wacoal is currently the market leader with a 40 per cent share of the total underwear market, followed by Triumph with 20 per cent. Both brands target the mass market. Maximiser has five per cent share of the total market, but a bigger bite of the premium segment, Montira said.

Triumph recently expanded its Sloggi range to include matching bras, and relaunched the brand as "modern and fashionable".