MINNEAPOLIS — Next month, Target will launch three new lines of lingerie and sleepwear that include bras under $22 and more inclusive sizes than ever.
The company is just the latest to take on Victoria's Secret, the longtime market leader when it comes to intimates, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The WSJ said a shift in customer preferences toward "more natural looks and less structured garments" had made it easier for smaller online brands to compete with Victoria's Secret. The 42-year-old intimates company is known for selling bras upwards of $60, elaborate and lacy lingerie and putting on a runway show of its supermodel "angels."
Even before Target's new lines launch, Victoria's Secret also faces competition from Amazon's lingerie line Mae, online upstarts ThirdLove and Lively, American Eagle Outfitters' Aerie brand and Rihanna-created line Fenty.
Helping Victoria's Secrets' competition is the popularity of bras without underwire -- the metal piece that creates shape or push-up styles. The WSJ said sales of wire-free bras grew 10 percent in 2018 and underwire bra sales declined by 8 percent.
Designed for all body types
Like many other lingerie lines looking to compete with Victoria's Secret, Target said more than 40 percent of its bras will not have wire and its marketing campaign features women with different bodies, ethnicities and ages.
Glamour Magazine got the first look at some of the pieces from the lines.
The magazine said Auden is a line of bras and underwear with 40-50 styles to choose from and sizes from 32AA to 46G. Stars Above is a 125-piece collection of sleepwear and lounge clothing with sizes from XS to 4X. The third line is Colsie, a collection of "loungewear and intimates in sizes XS to 3X aimed at the Gen-Z crowd."
Jill Sando, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of apparel and accessories and home at Target, told Glamour the company is "always looking for ways to make our brands more inclusive and celebratory of all body types."
"Within intimates and sleepwear specifically, what our guests are looking for has continued to evolve," Sando told the magazine. "Now, more than ever, they want to feel comfortable and confident in their own bodies."
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