Salon International de la Lingerie: Chantelle, DIM and Wacoal focus on full-cup bras

At the Salon International de la Lingerie (global trade event in Paris for lingerie, loungewear, swimwear, and legwear), part of WSN, FashionUnited interviewed three major market players: Chantelle, DIM and Wacoal. They discussed how they are structuring their collections around the bra, the centrepiece of womenswear lingerie and the main economic pillar of the sector. This comes as demand for full-cup bras and fuller-bust silhouettes continues to grow.

The French womenswear lingerie market was valued at just over two billion euros (2.34 billion dollars) in 2025 (sources: Kantar x Salon International de la Lingerie x Fédération de la Maille, de la Lingerie et du Balnéaire).

In womenswear daywear lingerie, bras, bustiers and bralettes account for 57 percent of French consumer spending. This represents more than half the value of the womenswear lingerie market in France.

Internationally, the global bra market was valued at approximately 25.18 billion US dollars in 2024. It is expected to reach 27.38 billion US dollars in 2025 (source: Fortune Business).

By product type, the bra segment dominates with a 55.94 percent share of the lingerie market in 2024. It is projected to expand at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 4.64 percent until 2030 (source: market research firm Mordorintelligence).

“The bra is the first purchase a consumer makes,” confirmed Vanessa Causse, a trend forecaster and lingerie and bodywear expert, speaking to FashionUnited. “Women are willing to spend more than they were a few years ago, and the bra is an item to which they want to attach meaning.”

Chantelle: growth driven by D cups and above

In recent years, the family-owned Chantelle group has restructured its portfolio. The goal was to consolidate its offerings under the single Chantelle brand to establish a strong international label. Development then continued through integrated sub-brands: Chantelle EasyFeel, Chantelle Pulp, Chantelle X and Chantelle Lab.

Since then, the group has reported overall growth of approximately 5 percent in a challenging market. Chantelle operates in 80 countries through wholesale, department stores and its own retail network. This network includes 200 Chantelle and Darjeeling stores in France (Darjeeling is an integrated retail brand operating solely in France). The brand has around twenty subsidiaries abroad, with the US being one of its major markets.

The brand's historic expertise, celebrating its 150 years in 2026, is rooted in corsetry and bra-making. The bra is the central piece of womenswear lingerie and the product around which the brand is built.

“The line enjoying huge international success is called Norah,” explained Renaud Cambuzat, brand director and artistic director of the Chantelle group. “It’s an essential, extremely comfortable everyday line.”

Chantelle covers a wide range of sizes, from A cup to larger cups, with a planned extension up to a K cup. The director highlighted that the D cup and above segments are among those with the fastest-growing sales.

In the full-support segment, he mentioned innovations designed to simplify sizing. This includes the development of styles offered in M, L and XL sizes.

DIM: while tights are the entry product, the bra is a key category

A long-standing player in accessible lingerie, DIM is one of the main leaders in the French market. It has approximately 10,500 points-of-sale, including mass-market retailers, specialist chains, e-commerce and its own stores.

This January 2026, the brand marks its return to the lingerie trade show. “For three reasons: fashion, through a collaboration with Inès de la Fressange; tights and the many ongoing innovations; and also to showcase the richness of our D2C ranges that our retailers are less familiar with,” commented Mathieu Dalmayrac, global marketing director for the DIM, Playtex and Abanderado brands within the DBI (DIM International Brands) group.

While tights remain the iconic entry product into the world of DIM, bras account for over half of its womenswear lingerie sales. It is a major category in both value and volume. This is particularly true for the Generous line, a signature bra specially designed for fuller-figured women, offering optimal support while remaining comfortable.

DIM relies on wide distribution, long-standing franchises and a structured range to drive its performance.

Wacoal: the bra as its core business

Wacoal is a Japanese group. It operates the Wacoal, Fantasie, Freya and Elomi brands. The company is publicly listed and generates over 1.3 billion dollars in international revenue.

Founded in 1946, the brand created the first bra developed in Japan. Today, its business is structured around the bra.

“The bra is the historic heart of the group,” said Sophie Knis, head of marketing and communications for the Wacoal group in Europe. “The brand’s strength lies in comfort and innovation in materials and product construction.”

For instance, the Back Appeal style is designed with innovative smoothing technology on the back and sides. Available in both wired and non-wired versions, it is regularly updated with new colours, demonstrating commercial continuity around established lines. “It’s a long-lasting bestseller”.

Full support is a strong commercial driver. Within the portfolio, several brands are dedicated to full cups and fuller busts, notably Freya and Elomi. Elomi, which ranges from a D cup to an O cup with a recent extension to an R cup, is presented as the group's leading brand in Europe.

Present in Europe through its subsidiary Wacoal Europe, the group has been operating in the French market since the 1990s. It is distributed mainly through a network of independent boutiques (approximately 500 points-of-sale in France), supplemented by department stores and e-commerce, without its own website.

Body positive: towards an offer better adapted to female body shapes

At Wacoal, and particularly through Elomi, the visuals and models used do not conform to traditional lingerie standards. They feature women with fuller busts and sizes above a 42. This 'normalisation' approach aims to show bodies that reflect the real shapes of consumers. It is part of a commitment that began in 2020.

Vanessa Causse places this representation within a broader market evolution: “Today, women know their size better. They embrace their figures and are not afraid to state their size. While the average cup size is a C, the D cup is gradually becoming more prevalent.”

This change is linked to a more realistic approach to the female body. It is prompting all brands to expand their cup size offerings to meet a more clearly identified demand, without sacrificing aesthetics. This explains the proliferation of such ranges at the trade show.

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

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