Shapewear finds its fit as India’s fashion brands chase steady support

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Shapewear is quietly reshaping India’s apparel landscape as demand shifts towards functional, everyday innerwear that affirms both confidence and body positivity. From established players to startups, apparel brands are increasingly focusing on shapewear—body-hugging innerwear worn under clothes to provide support and improve fit—as it delivers steady demand even when fashion spending is weak.

Easy availability on quick-commerce platforms and strong discoverability on social media are repositioning shapewear from an occasional purchase to a wardrobe essential for young consumers, making it a niche, scalable growth category. This all-season growth potential is driving both incumbents such as Reliance Retail, which owns Clovia and Zivame, and startups to expand into shapewear to attract young shoppers and diversify beyond seasonal fashion. A growing demand for shapewear such as control panties, shaping tanks and waist trainers is also translating into increased funding activity.

Shapewear startup Underneat, founded by content creator Kusha Kapila, raised $6 million in pre-Series A funding in December, led by Fireside Ventures. Similarly, Noida-based Krvvy is set to close a follow-on capital from existing investors All In Capital and Titan Capital, two people in the know told Mint, a year after it raised a pre-seed funding of ₹6.1 crore. Krvvy’s co-founder Yash Goyal declined to comment on the fundraise.

Invogue, a Delhi-based shapewear brand that was founded in 2023 by Madhav Saxena, has also raised capital. “We’ve been a bootstrapped business for 2.5 years, competing with heavily-funded players. We have recently raised a funding round, and we’ll be announcing it soon," said Saxena.