While yesterday's article was the big lingerie trend report, I wanted to focus today's piece on a couple of specialty brands that exist outside of traditional trend forecasting, namely maternity and mastectomy ranges. Though the "mainstream" lingerie industry is stagnating a little in terms of creativity, mastectomy lingerie has blossomed. Perhaps it's because mastectomy lingerie has been plain and functional for so long that even the slightest nudge in a more fashionable direction seems like a breath of fresh air, but I like to think it's because there's a lot of innovation happening in this sector at the moment... which has the net effect of pulling everyone upwards (at least if they want to stay competitive).
We've covered mastectomy ranges like AnaOno Intimates, Lorna Drew, and Monokini 2.0 on TLA before, so I won't focus on them here. Instead, I'd like to talk about Amoena, a brand that's been a leader in the mastectomy space for decades. The aesthetics of Amoena's upcoming collection are wonderful, and, perhaps even more importantly, on trend. These bras don't read as medical devices; they're genuinely attractive and fashion forward while still maintaining Amoena's commitment to providing appropriate options for their customer base.
Moving on to standouts in the world of maternity bras (another specialty market), the French label Cache Coeur captured my attention and wouldn't let it go. As with mastectomy, there are very few players in the maternity lingerie space, and the major labels in this sector have remained unchanged for as long as I've been blogging. Cache Coeur's elegant nursing bras and swimwear would be right at home in any upscale department store.
Meanwhile, for luxury lingerie addicts, Mimi Holliday offers gorgeous silk satin nursing bras.
Finally, for nursing mothers who exercise, Belabumbum is debuting a line of maternity athletic wear, including maternity sports bras.
I'd like to finish this article with an assortment of items and sets that didn't really fit into any the key trend categories from my last post. These are just things I liked or thought TLA readers might like.
Now that you've seen everything I've seen, what are your overall impressions of A/W Lingerie Market? Do any of your thoughts about the industry line up with mine? Are you happy with what you're seeing? Are you wanting something more? Let's chat in the comments!