INTIMATE APPAREL & SHAPEWEAR FIBERS

Underwear, shapewear, bras, or lingerie — whatever the garment, we all want our intimate apparel to fit comfortably, keep its shape, last through wash and wear, and provide a flawless foundation for our outfits. And the right ingredients can deliver.

With LYCRA^® fiber and fabric technology, women's and men's underwear and intimate apparel become essential — the top-drawer items consumers reach for every day. In underwear, our fibers provide ultimate comfort and lasting fit. In shapewear, garments with LYCRA^® fiber fit like a second skin and enhance the figure with just-right compression for confident, all-day wear.

When we invented spandex/elastane decades ago, it revolutionized intimate apparel. Finally, women had a comfortable alternative to rubber in their foundation garments, giving them more flexibility and freedom to move. Today, LYCRA^® fiber continues to provide the premium solution for comfortable intimate apparel that lasts.

WHAT CONSUMERS WANT FROM INTIMATE APPAREL

The intimate apparel market is high value and growing. According to a 2026 report from Custom Market Insights, the category will be worth $169.4 billion globally by 2035, up from $97.3 billion a decade earlier.

Driving that growth is consumer desire for multipurpose pieces that can be worn at work, on special occasions, and sometimes even as a focal point of an outfit (for example, lace bralettes worn as tops). Rising numbers of women in the global workforce have also increased demand as their purchasing power increases alongside their need for work-appropriate, multipurpose undergarments. Category expansion plays a role, too, as offerings such as wire-free bras, everyday shapewear, and a broadening men's underwear market become increasingly popular.

For years, The LYCRA Company has conducted consumer research to support our innovations, seeking to understand what consumers want from intimate apparel. For instance, in 2022, we worked with the market research firm Walnut Unlimited to survey 600+ women around the world about their shapewear needs. They told us their top purchase drivers include:

• A slimming effect 

• A feeling of being held 

• Boosted confidence 

• Enhanced curves 

• Wear comfort 

• Easy to put on and take off 

Across our shapewear offerings, we've met those needs, and we've applied our years of research to all categories of intimate apparel, where confidence, comfort, stay-in-place fit, and ease of wear are essential.

BENEFITS OF INTIMATE APPAREL AND SHAPEWEAR WITH LYCRA^® FIBER

LYCRA^® FIBERS FOR UNDERWEAR AND INTIMATE APPAREL

For the lasting fit and comfort consumers turn to again and again, choose LYCRA^® fibers and fabric technologies for underwear and intimate apparel.

SUSTAINABLE FIBERS FOR INTIMATE APPAREL

For more sustainable intimate apparel crafted with recycled and renewable materials, the LYCRA^® brand offers high-performance solutions.

• RENEWABLE LYCRA^® fiber is made with 70% plant-based content and has the potential to reduce the carbon footprint of traditional LYCRA^® fiber by up to 45%*

• LYCRA FiT400™ fiber, made in part from recycled PET bottles and renewable plant-based materials, delivers permanent stretch, recovery, moisture-wicking, and breathability

Our recycled and renewable fibers have received third-party sustainability certifications: All recycled polyester products from The LYCRA Company have achieved OEKO-TEX^® STANDARD 100 certification. Products made from recycled bottles are Global Recycled Standard certified, and products from textile waste are Recycled Claim Standard certified. Our plant-based spandex has achieved USDA Bio-Preferred status.

^{*Comparative Life Cycle Assessment: LYCRA® fiber with Bio-derived PTMEG vs. LYCRA® fiber with Fossil-Derived PTMEG, Ramboll, 2026}