ar label Parade, which was sold in August 2023 for an undisclosed amount to Miami Beach-based intimates company Ariela & Associates International. Parade was founded by Columbia University dropout Cami Téllez in 2019, with a purpose to disrupt the market and champion inclusivity, body positivity and sustainable manufacturing. It was valued at US$200 million in 2022. Fit, function and supportive design In the Australian market, Form and Fold is a local example of size inclusivity with its range of luxe swimwear for D-cups and up. It was co-founded in 2017 by lifelong friends Carly Warson and Stephanie Korn, who were frustrated at the limited selection of swimwear to fit their DD-cup and E-cup frames. Three years were spent crafting design-focused pieces that use lingerie construction techniques and sizing to empower women to feel comfortable and supported at the beach. The brand uses premium materials and products are sampled almost 30 times. Warson told Inside Retail, “Growing up watching our friends have entire stores to shop in whilst D-plus sizes were squished onto one small rack; it was very limiting and uninspiring.” The result was Form and Fold, a brand that liberates and flatters. Since launching locally, the label is now making waves overseas and is stocked in Harrods, Browns, Matches Fashion, and luxury retailer Net-a-Porter. Brava for the perfect fit for all Brava Lingerie is another Australian lingerie retailer catering to the previously neglected niche market consisting of D-cup and up individuals. It has five locations across Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne and offers on-trend styles of intimate apparel that aren’t typically designed for bigger busts. Director of Brava Lingerie Lin Windram told Inside Retail, “When aspirational or fantasy lingerie is structured to support fuller busts the result can be really empowering.” Brava has a team of specially trained D-cup-plus fitters who do not use tape measures. The approach to fitting D-cup-plus bras is equally as important as stocking the right products, and Brava hires staff of different ages and life stages to ensure everyone who walks through the door can be comfortably accommodated according to their preference. All ranges and products stocked at Brava must surpass its high standards for fit and are wear-tested by staff, who cover a wide demographic. “Some are 19 and studying, and some are mothers, totally committed to the delivery of excellent customer service. Most were Brava customers who loved the service and wanted to be that woman helping other women, offering knowledge and care and embracing their needs,” said Windram. With band sizes starting at a size six, Brava customers run the gamut. “We have customers who are aged 10 who are comfortable being fitted at Brava and wearing the right bra for them. Our customers include breast enhancement, breast reduction, maternity, bridal, post-surgery, sportswomen and the elderly, with a variety of needs. All are welcome and we never stop learning,” said Windram. Shift towards realism in retail The shift towards authenticity and realism in retail transcends the intimate apparel market within the fashion industry and comes from brands listening to and reciprocating consumers’ needs, wants and preferences. Businesses like Brava are championing change through inclusivity and representation for formerly marginalised individuals represented in the market. “Our most recent campaign featured three women, one in her 50s experiencing menopause and learning to love her new shape, another navigated breast cancer and had a mastectomy and a young fuller figure woman wanting to show what body positivity could manifest as,” said Windram. As a multi-brand retailer without any private label products, Brava can be unbiased in sourcing suitable ranges from almost 50 different brands. Windram told Inside Retail, “We work very hard with our suppliers and offer suggestions; they work with us on our marketing to ensure the message is clear.” The business’ latest campaign with Prima Donna features three Brava customers, not models, further enforcing its commitment to authentic representation, which in itself, is aspirational. Retail experience and customer communication Listening and asking the right questions is the approach Brava takes to understand what its customers want and don’t want. “It’s just as important to understand what they don’t want in a bra, as much as do. This requires a gentle approach, with warm and empathetic fitters. It’s not easy for many women to step into a lingerie store. We never forget this, and neither do our staff as they’ve all had that experience and probably the strongest reason they want to work with Brava. It can be life-changing to feel a company cares for you,” said Windram. Creating a welcoming and inclusive omnichannel experience for customers requires collaboration with brands and thoughtfully comprehensive training of staff to ensure the best possible customer experience. “We replaced many supplier images with our ambassadors or staff to ensure broad representation, it’s a work in progress. All staff undertake empathy training to ensure our words, actions and approach is empathetic,” added Windram. From a challenge to an opportunity Changing the industry to be more reflective of society requires the collective efforts of brands, retailers and the consumer. As the intermediary between brands and consumers, retailers have the opportunity to amend any shortfalls through collaboration and ensuring products are marketed in a realistic and inclusive way. Incorporating authenticity and realness into brand identity isn’t one-size-fits-all and a balance of realness and profit needs to be considered. “We still receive supplier imagery with just one body shape, usually a young, size 8-10 woman. They need to be represented too, but they are overrepresented. We work very hard to add extra images of different shapes,” said Windram. It’s not just representation for the sake of representation: “How a product looks on the model doesn’t always relate to how it looks on most bodies. It can lead to disappointment and that’s another reason why we don’t photoshop and believe that different body shapes need to be shown,” said Windram. Nala Earlier this month Australian size-inclusive intimates brand Nala, launched its first bodysuit collection, with a focus on size inclusivity and pieces designed for tall individuals. Having only launched a year ago, Nala projects it will sell in excess of 300,000 pieces across the business in 2024, with international expansion plans a focus for the next phase of growth. The capsule collection consists of four silhouettes catering to a vast range of sizes from XS to 5XL, with an ambition to increase this still. Tall SKUs of the range have been added to cater for those with a longer torso. Nala co-founder Chloe de Winter told Inside Retail, “We did our market research and had to look after our taller friends with our ‘no front-wedgie guarantee’ design.” In addition to bodysuits, Nala extended its range to cater for bigger busts with pieces designed specifically for J cups. The Support Wirefree Bralette is one of Nala’s bestselling styles and in collaboration with J-cup-sized women in the testing phase, a solution for the gap in the market not accommodated by many brands was created by this Australian start-up. Nala’s mid-market average product price point of $79-$89, is substantially lower than Skims, which the brand identifies as its US competitor. Skims products cost $105-$130. “Creating products that are accessible to most, has been part of our mission since the outset,” said De Winter. For now, Nala is focused on the Australian market, but with the positive response to products and launches locally, global expansion is on the horizon.