Lucia Camacho, marketing manager, SheCurve
As shoppers embrace the self-love movement and look beyond traditional beauty standards, more and more see shapewear as a confidence booster that can help them accept their unique shape. Indeed, the U.S. shapewear market alone is expected to grow by 8.4% from 2024 to 2028.
Fueling the sector’s growth is a shift toward sustainable clothing and new product offerings catering to diverse shoppers. With the shapewear market — and the overall intimates market — becoming increasingly competitive, DTC brands in this arena are prioritizing sustainability, product innovation and influencer marketing to drive brand awareness and favorability.
Showcasing sustainability in shapewear
From the textile production process to the final degradation of fiber waste, clothing manufacturing requires significant resources, including water, and creates considerable methane and carbon dioxide emissions. It’s estimated that the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions.
Consumers are increasingly aware of these realities and, as a result, are gravitating to brands that emphasize their sustainability commitments and credentials. Lingerie and shapewear are no exception, with brands like Adore Me and Parade among those highlighting their bona fide sustainability standards, as previously reported by Glossy.
Among those is SheCurve, a shapewear and lingerie brand committed to playing a role in promoting sustainability in the fashion industry. To that end, SheCurve has carefully crafted its shapewear using the most innovative and sustainable materials chosen based on four key criteria: functionality, comfort, durability and eco-friendliness in production.
Via recycling waste textiles, SheCurve aims to promote eco-conscious basic garments and a sustainable wardrobe that’s both eco-friendly and stylish. The brand is also working to reduce textile waste pollution, petroleum raw material usage and nonrenewable resource usage, using sustainable and mindful processes that minimize environmental harm.
Product innovation is key to meeting shopper demands
SheCurve’s commitment to continuous innovation is a win for the consumer, but also how they maintain a competitive edge. Not as well known as some other shapewear brands, SheCurve is committed to innovation through continuous research and development of advanced technologies, materials and designs for optimal shaping and comfort.
Indeed, there is evidence that product innovation is directly tied to sales, brand perception and even a company’s stock value. A St. John’s study on customer perceptions of innovation found that for every five-point increase in customer perceptions of firm innovativeness, companies observed an average increase of $2.8 billion in shareholder wealth. And according to a Deloitte study on consumer product innovation, companies that are innovating beyond product by designing for consumer behavior are seeing increases in positive brand perception, and an average of 14 percent annual stock price growth over five years, compared to zero growth for laggards.
For all these reasons, SheCurve’s product development team continues to innovate its materials and ergonomic design, creating shapewear that offers comfort, flexibility and breathability. This keeps the company ahead of the competition and consumers returning for ongoing improvements and new product ideas.
Influencer marketing puts inclusivity messaging at the forefront
Reflecting the rapid pace of fashion trends, SheCurve leans on influencers, particularly on TikTok and Instagram, to spread the news about their shapewear and lingerie products. The close relationship between influencers and their followers offers a valuable opportunity for authentically marketing a brand’s products and services.
Working with influencers gives SheCurve another avenue to highlight its range of lingerie pieces, to diverse audiences. Inclusiveness is foundational to the brand, which offers an expansive size range that accommodates both petite and plus-size women so all shoppers can find their ideal shapewear and lingerie.
Like other brands in the space, SheCurve is working to reconcile the contradiction of “body-positive shapewear”. The focus is on products that give women who may be self-conscious about their curves, the support to smooth out their silhouettes. With pieces that are breathable instead of restrictive, the brand aims to celebrate all bodies.
Sponsored by SheCurve
