INVISTA Addresses Legwear Market Opportunities with LYCRA® Beauty Hosiery and LYCRA® Xceptionelle Hosiery at LYCRA® Fiber Moves International Forum in Barcelona
INVISTA—one of the world’s largest integrated producers of polymers and fibers, and owner of the LYCRA® fiber brand—used the second edition of its unique trade event, “LYCRA® fiber MOVES” in Barcelona on Sept. 29-30, to announce its newest offerings for the legwear market. At the event, INVISTA addressed 300 textile professionals from 25 countries, with the aim of addressing unmet consumer needs.
Building on the successful launch of LYCRA® beauty fabric for intimate apparel and swimwear, LYCRA® beauty hosiery and seamless garments were developed to address the growing momentum at both trade and consumer levels. There is a strong gap between importance and satisfaction of hosiery options in terms of “comfort in the panty area,” as well as “smooth, flattering waistline,” (1) even though hosiery was cited as the most frequent shapewear category purchased in the past 12 months. (2)
“LYCRA® beauty hosiery and seamless garments were designed as a new generation of shapewear because of these evolving market dynamics,” said Pierluigi Berardi, INVISTA’s global segment director for legwear. “These will address the gap in consumer needs and expectations by offering hosiery that shapes whilst being comfortable, and is tested according to scientifically-determined metrics.”
And there is more on the LYCRA® fiber innovation front. Today, there are more than 100 million “plus size” women worldwide whose hosiery needs are not fully being met. In the United States, almost one third of the total consumer base is plus size and growing at an average rate of two percent per year. In Europe, this segment makes up an average of 23 percent of the total consumer base. (3)
“Globally, the ‘plus size’ sector is expected to grow yearly at a rate of five percent until 2014, and these consumers are having a hard time finding hosiery garments that are both elegant and comfortable,” said Consuelo Bañon, INVISTA’s European marketing director for legwear. “That’s why our LYCRA® Xceptionelle hosiery, which is a combination of an engineered garment construction and LYCRA® Soft Comfort fiber technology, is designed to deliver a forgotten market ideal comfort and style for the plus size figure.”
The design of LYCRA® Xceptionelle hosiery is based on an innovative patent-pending construction that accommodates for the differing body shapes of larger women, offering greater overall garment comfort by helping to prevent dig-in at the waist or thigh.
Footnotes:
- (1) Source: Strategic Insights Inc. Global Hosiery Gap Analysis Consumer Study 2011. 1,143 women in USA, France, UK, Germany, Italy, Spain
- (2) Source: Strategic Insights Inc. Global Shapewear Consumer Study 2009. 1,133 women in USA, Brazil, France, UK, Germany, and Italy.
- (3) Global market review of Outsize Clothing, Just-Style, 2009.
Kristin Altimari
Brand Communication Manager
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