United Kingdom (UK): women's lingerie imports 2008-2020, by category

Women's intimate apparel categories include brassieres, briefs and panties (knitted or crocheted only), corsets and girdles and slips and petticoats. Bra imports valued highest among the four product groups. In 2020, bras imported into the UK were worth approximately 311 million British pounds.

Intimate apparel market in the UK

Compared to twenty-five years ago, there are more styles and options than ever before in the intimate apparel industry. With the rise of fashion lingerie, and the rising prices of intimate apparel, British women are more conscious of their intimate styles and their choices as a consumer. However, sales from UK underwear manufacturers are falling: sales have fallen by almost 50 percent between 2008 and 2019. While low cost manufacturing has been outsourced abroad, more intimate apparel has been imported to the UK to fill this rising demand. Imports of women’s and girl’s underwear and nightwear to the UK have stayed strong throughout this period, and had valued consistently around 140 million U.S. dollars.

Intimate apparel market worldwide

Not only is the average Brit spending more on intimate apparel, but consumer expenditure on intimate wear is increasing worldwide. By 2027, the global market value of women’s lingerie was forecasted to double from its 2018 value to approximately 78 billion U.S. dollars. Europe and North America remained the strongest players in the lingerie market. Combined, they accounted for the largest share of the market, holding approximately two thirds of the entire market value share.