China's women get a bra for all seasons
( 2001-05-17 15:25 ) (7 )

It may only be an exercise in brand awareness, but Triumph's lingerie fashion show is raising more than just a few bust lines as it shimmies its way across 30 cities in China.

"We're bringing lingerie out of the closet and on to the catwalk," Raymond Due, Triumph's China marketing manager, told AFP on the sidelines of a show in Shenzhen that was the 12th leg of the tour.

Over 20 top models from China took part in the dramatic performance at the Shangri-la hotel in this southern boomtown.

For 50 minutes, they boogied, cha cha-ed and shimmied down the catwalk to a mix of ear-splitting Madonna hits, classical tunes and remixed TV theme songs, showcasing a vast array of specially-designed underwear.

Silver shimmering swimsuits were followed by red silk cowboy chaps and rainbow PVC bras, while an audience of some 300 Chinese women looked on, mesmerised.

Colours were strong reds and blacks and stylish pastels while briefs hugged the hips and bras gave a gentle uplift and showed off subtle cleavage.

"I've never seen anything quite like it," said Ms Ho, 25, who received a ticket to the show last time she bought a Triumph bra.

"I've seen fashion shows before but never lingerie. I like it, it's really good."

Over 180,000 people are expected to have seen the "Dreams on Stage" show by the time it wraps up in Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province in July.

"It's eye-opening for them. Most of them come out of the show surprised at what they have seen, pleasantly surprised," Due said.

Five years ago, a show like this wouldn't have been possible in China.

Then, "a bra was a bra. A white-cotton affair that you could find in any department store. Now a woman can have a bra for all seasons," he said.

Despite a few differences such as colour (blacks, whites and flesh tones for the west and pastels and red for the Chinese market) and compulsory padding, Chinese women are no different to Europeans when it comes to what they want from a bra.

Comfort, support and fashion are the key elements, according to Triumph's product manager for Asia, Harald Hindenberger.

"European women might be a bit more provocative, but that's changing," he said.

But not too quickly, according to Kavita Daswani a Hong-Kong based fashion writer. She said that generally Chinese women are still reluctant to show off their underwear.

"Transparent clothes -- anything that shows off a bra -- doesn't seem to work."

But in more affluent areas of China, such as Shanghai and Beijing, the influence from the west is having a greater effect.

"The increasingly fashion-conscious with the disposable income, who live in the big cities, often mimic what they see in international fashion magazines," Daswani said.

"If it's a look that involves a bra strap showing through a fitted top perhaps, and it looks relatively stylish, and the city's socialites and models are onto it, that will undoubtedly start a trend."

How well these trends translate into revenue is debatable as there are no reliable figures for the lingerie market in China and Triumph refuses to divulge turnover or sales figures.

Unofficial figures have put the market size for the whole of China at 300 million pieces moved annually, but Due said that was too low.

In any case Triumph believes it is well positioned to take advantage of the changing marketplace with 1,000 outlets nationwide -- more than its domestic and international rivals -- and a lead on "mind share".

A recent AC Nielson study taken on Triumph's behalf showed eight out of 10 Chinese women listing the German company as number one when asked to name brands of underwear. Other competitors include Japan's Wacoal and the Taiwanese lingerie maker Audrey and local brand Chilier.

Whether the show will help Triumph retain its lead as China opens up to western suppliers remains to be seen, but as Daswani said: "If absolutely nothing else, an event like this will at least cause a stir, grab some attention, get the name out there."