Shapewear finds its fit as India’s fashion brands chase steady support

From established players to startups, apparel brands are increasingly focusing on shapewear—body-hugging innerwear worn under clothes to provide support and improve fit—as it delivers steady demand even when fashion spending is weak.

Easy availability on quick-commerce platforms and strong discoverability on social media are repositioning shapewear from an occasional purchase to a wardrobe essential for young consumers, making it a niche, scalable growth category.

This all-season growth potential is driving both incumbents such as Reliance Retail, which owns Clovia and Zivame, and startups to expand into shapewear to attract young shoppers and diversify beyond seasonal fashion.

A growing demand for shapewear such as control panties, shaping tanks and waist trainers is also translating into increased funding activity. Shapewear startup Underneat, founded by content creator Kusha Kapila, raised $6 million in pre-Series A funding in December, led by Fireside Ventures.

Similarly, Noida-based Krvvy is set to close a follow-on capital from existing investors All In Capital and Titan Capital, two people in the know told Mint, a year after it raised a pre-seed funding of ₹6.1 crore. Krvvy’s co-founder Yash Goyal declined to comment on the fundraise.

Invogue, a Delhi-based shapewear brand that was founded in 2023 by Madhav Saxena, has also raised capital.

“We’ve been a bootstrapped business for 2.5 years, competing with heavily-funded players. We have recently raised a funding round, and we’ll be announcing it soon," said Saxena.

Saxena was inspired to start Invogue after struggling to find shapewear in India that felt comfortable, flattering and confidence-affirming for his partner, following her experience with rapid weight gain during the pandemic.

“At the time, shapewear in India felt medical, uncomfortable and almost designed to make women feel bad about their bodies," said Saxena, founder and chief executive of Invogue. “Globally, brands like Skims had already changed that narrative, but India was far behind in conversations around body positivity and inclusivity."

Large retailers are following suit. Nykaa’s fashion arm, Nykaa Fashion, too is accelerating its efforts to grow its lingerie brand Nykd, after its gross merchandise value crossed a run rate of ₹170 crore in the July-September quarter of 2025. Reliance Retail-backed Clovia is ramping up its shapewear portfolio with a focus on precision in sizing, compression levels and body types, founder and chief executive Pankaj Vermani said.

“As awareness grows and brands increasingly adapt products to Indian bodies, climates, and lifestyles, shapewear is steadily moving from being an occasional solution to a more regular wardrobe essential," Vermani added.

Invogue’s Saxena said one of the most overlooked aspects of shapewear design in India is compression variability.

“Most brands focus only on sizing, but compression matters just as much," he said. “Different consumers want different levels, from subtle shaping to very high compression, and that requires deeper product engineering."

The focus on shapewear comes at a time when apparel makers are constantly innovating to find the next hook to reel in users. India’s fashion landscape continues to face challenges stemming from a crowded market as well as the broader consumption slowdown, with large players like Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail (ABFRL) too feeling the heat.

The Indian shapewear market was valued at $49.6 million in 2022, and is projected to swell to $220.8 million by 2032 at a compounded annual growth rate of 16.16% , according to a May 2024 report by Apollo Research, a market research and consulting firm based in Nasik.

Global appeal

Globally, shapewear’s potential has been demonstrated by the success of brands such as Skims, founded by celebrity Kim Kardashian, and Spanx, backed by global investment firm Blackstone.

Skims used celebrity-driven marketing, inclusive sizing, and social-first launches to scale rapidly, while Spanx built the category around comfort-led, problem-solving design. Together, they helped move shapewear from niche innerwear to a mainstream, investor-backed apparel segment.

A similar wave is underway in India, led by demand from small cities. Almost half of Krvvy’s revenue comes from non-metro cities, while growth in metros is being accelerated by deeper penetration of quick-commerce platforms such as Zepto and Blinkit, said co-founder Goyal. According to data from Traxcn, Krvvy generated a revenue of ₹1.36 crore in FY25.

“On New Year’s eve, we sold 200 units on each quick commerce platform within just four hours. This was unexpected," Goyal said.

“Premium pricing is possible, but only when backed by tangible value," Clovia's Vermani said. While the category will remain largely mid-sized and premium in terms of its volumes, there is a growing segment of digital natives and young individuals who are willing to pay more for shapewear that is more comfortable and durable, he said.

However, distribution is a constraint. Shapewear’s fit-sensitive nature makes online-only models limiting, especially for first-time buyers. Offline touchpoints play a critical role in accelerating trust and trial, even as digital channels remain key for customer acquisition and feedback-led product development, said Vermani.

The fashion segment accounts for nearly three-quarters of India’s $130 billion e-lifestyle market, according to a 2024 report by Bain & Co, making constant innovation crucial.

Scaling troubles

However, structural challenges remain.

“Fashion is an easy category to enter, but hard to scale," said Satish Meena, analyst at Datum Intelligence.

Moreover, body diversity varies widely across India, with differences in height, weight and body type influencing design and functionality. In addition, reliance on online-first distribution makes sizing errors costly, while offline expansion requires heavy investment in trained staff and inventory depth. Together, these factors raise questions around margins and long-term profitability, according to Meena.

To address stigma around the category, Invogue positions shapewear as “makeup for the body", Saxena said.

“Using shapewear doesn’t mean something is wrong with your body," he said. “It’s like makeup, it doesn’t change who you are, it just helps you accentuate how you want to look for a particular outfit or occasion."

“Conversations around body confidence, shape-enhancing garments, and everyday shapewear are evolving, but adoption takes time and trust. Brands need to invest not just in marketing, but in education, trial, and feedback-led design to make shapewear feel intuitive and everyday," said Clovia’s Vermani.