How To Start A Lingerie Business? Impressive Profits 2025

Lingerie—most people cover this subject in “shame.” But the real business gurus know that lingerie is a TREASURE TROVE for BIG profits.

That said, our team is here to show you the backbone of how to start a lingerie business. It’s everyone we’ve learned as an expert lingerie manufacturer in just a single post!

You’ll know the ins and outs of this industry. Learn exactly how much people are profiting from this biz. And get the blueprint for starting your lingerie brand.

No fillers. All helpful information and money-generating formulas of how to start a lingerie business.

How Profitable Is The Lingerie Business?

The lingerie field is very profitable. Studies show that the gross margins of lingerie are 40% to 60%. That’s as profitable as renowned clothing retail stores.

So, what should you remember to stay within this profit range?

Here are our go-to’s:

Purchase from AFFORDABLE suppliers
Make sure products are high-quality
Establish strong branding for your lingerie business

Among the three, branding is perhaps the best factor to remember. You’d want to purchase underwear from Victoria’s Secret over some random street stall? That’s because it’s a trusted and well-known brand.

How to Start a Lingerie Business (Step-by-Step)

For the BEST section of this post, let us show you our blueprint for lingerie businesses. We’ve shared this with dozens of clients. And well over half of them succeeded in starting and growing their lingerie brand.

Why only half, you say? Well, lingerie is also not for the lighthearted. You must throw your conservative mindset out the window. Not to mention, you really gotta explore different lingerie options! Here’s a complete guide about how to start a lingerie business.

Step #1: Research the lingerie market

First things first—you must know what market you’re moving into.

Take this step seriously. As if your business depends on it. Because guess what—it does!

Here are the key factors you must look up before you even spend a dime on the lingerie market:

Target audience: Who do you want to sell to? Are you catering to young Gen Zs, brides, or the general audience?
Your competitors: Which store does your target audience primarily buy from? What are those stores doing “right,” and what areas could they improve?
Trends: You always gotta know what’s trending. Trend directly influences what sells and what doesn’t.

After this point, you should have a clearer vision of whether the lingerie business is for you. And if it is, it’s time to…

Step #2: Create a Business Plan

Business plan. There are two “versions” of this document. The formal, fancy, book-length version that corporations use when starting a new business.

But what we recommend to our clients just starting out is to keep it simple.

Just outline the following in your business plan:

Budget and financial plan: How much will you invest in this business? How are you planning to acquire that budget?
Sales channels: Are you going the physical store or online shop route?
Suppliers: How are you planning to source your products?
Product lines: Will you focus on specific types of lingerie? Or will your store include broad lingerie categories?

Step #3: Source or Manufacture Your Lingerie

It’s time to source the products you want to include in your lingerie brand.

Here’s the best tip we always share with our clients:

Always compare and contrast multiple suppliers.

Don’t settle with finding ONE. Ever. This is the strategy that’ll help you find the supplier that offers:

The cheapest price for high-quality materials
Relatively low MOQ but with bulk discounts
Good communication and healthy work ethics

We have listed the Top French Lingerie Manufacturers for you.

Heads up: We’ll discuss the different lingerie business models in a later section. There, you’ll also learn about the various ways to source lingerie goods.

Step #4: Register Your Business & Handle Legalities

Now, it’s time for the not-so-fun part. Handling the registration and other legalities of your lingerie brand.

I won’t go into too much detail with this step. The requirements and steps you’ll need to accomplish will vary from ours here in China.

But the good news?

You’re always one search away from knowing how to make your business legal.

Pro tip: Hold off on doing this until you’re 100% sure about starting a business. It’s a headache to register a company. But in many cases, legally closing up shop is even more hassle.
Kerry Wang, Business Development Manager

Step #5: Set Up an Online or Physical Store

Let’s bring all the “concepts” and “ideas” you’ve been stitching together to life.

Set up the online or physical lingerie store you’ve always dreamed of. Not sure about which one of the two to choose?

Here’s a rundown of the pros and cons of each model.

Online Store

Pros:

You don’t need to “rent” a physical store that could cost thousands
Sell across the globe
Easier to add new product lines (if you’re opting for dropshipping, etc.)

Cons:

The lingerie competition online is FIERCE
Customers cannot feel or try on your items (less connection)

Physical Store

Pros:

Customers can physically check your products out (encourage purchases)
Personalize the shopping experience of your customers

Cons:

Rack up more bills due to rent, electricity, and possibly staff wages
Limited reach compared to online stores

Friendly advice: You can COMBINE having both a physical and online store. But don’t do it right away, as it could overwhelm you and your business’ capacity.

Step #6: Build Your Brand Identity

Don’t just be “another lingerie store” in the market. Be a distinct brand.

Give your business a “face” through a logo. And a “voice” that sticks to a consistent tone. Let customers remember your brand through a color palette. And impress them with fantastic packaging.

Why?

Ultimately, establishing a brand also establishes trust.

It presents your business as a dependable business. It represents accountability, care, and a connection.

Note: We have a team of experts who can help you BUILD a brand for your store! We manufacture not just lingerie but also custom clothing packaging.

Step #7: Market Your Business

Some suggest marketing after launching. But it should be the opposite. MAKE NOISE before you even open your store.

This builds up anticipation. And encourages customers to be “curious” about what you’ll offer.

Marketing is especially crucial for businesses like lingerie, where visuals attract customers.

Advice: How you market should also depend on whether you’re building an online or a physical store. Focus on connecting with your local community directly if selling physically. Make your marketing targeted to your audience if selling online.
Pearl Yin, International Business Development Manager

Step #8: Launch & Grow Your Business

All the planning and hard work leads up to this moment! Time to open up shop and reap the rewards sown.

Launch your business, watch sales come in, and continue to market.

But remember, this is the start of your journey, not the finish line.

You’d want to build connections with your customers from this point onward. Give importance to customer service and post-purchase support. You can refer to our Top Italian Lingerie Brands guide.

Money-making advice: Allow returns and refunds to boost trust and encourage repeat business. This might seem like you’ll be “risking” profits. But the truth is, you’ll encourage customers to BUY from you without fear.

Suggested Reading: How to Start A Gym Clothing Line?

Why Should You Start A Lingerie Business?

Why choose to sell LINGERIE and not other types of clothing like gym clothing? Well, I could easily list dozens of reasons. But allow me to list the five reasons we know by heart.

Wide Market Range

Women of all ages wear lingerie. You can sell to fashionistas in their 20s and even young-at-heart mothers in their 60s.

This WIDE market range increases your chance of finding customers. But not just any customer. That’s because lingerie brands… You can check the list of Best Canadian Lingerie Brands.

Attract Loyal Customers

When women find good lingerie, they often purchase from the same store again. This means it’s easier to encourage repeat purchases. That’s if we compare lingerie businesses to regular apparel stores.

But of course, it’s up to YOU, the owner, to encourage customers to be loyal. Treat them with importance. They’ll almost always return the favor.

Not a Seasonal Offering

Lingerie isn’t just a summer thing like bikinis (Lingerie Vs Bikini they’re different). Nor are they just for special events.

Thanks to this fact, you can expect to have consistent sales all year long with lingerie. Of course, you’ll likely have sale spikes during Valentine’s Day and similar events. But the bottom line is— lingerie is not a seasonal offering!

Start Small, Scale Later

You can literally start with just a handful of lingerie designs and scale as you grow. Especially when you’re selling online.

In other words, you do not need tens of thousands of dollars to sell lingerie. Just remember to purchase from cheap lingerie brands or, even better, manufacturers.

Consistently Growing Industry

Good news: Lingerie will never go out of trend. In fact, many women are wearing lingerie now as casual wear. Not even for “special occasions.”

In 2020, lingerie’s market value was at $46 billion dollars. It’s expected to reach over $78 billion in 2027. If you’re interested in Best Sustainable Lingerie Brands, here you can check.

Lingerie Types You Can Sell

There are all kinds of lingerie types that you can introduce in the market. But just to have a baseline to start with, here are some of the most popular lingerie currently:

Thongs and G-strings
Petticoats and Slips
Nightwear
Loungewear
Sports Bras
Maternity Bras
Bridal Lingerie, etc

Suggested Reading: How to Choose Shapewear Like a Pro?

Lingerie Line Business Model To Choose From

How to start a lingerie business? As promised, here are the lingerie line business models you can choose from. We’ll mention how they work and their main pros and cons!

Making Your Lingerie from Scratch

This business model refers to creating (designing, stitching, etc.) every lingerie piece yourself. If you’re a skilled designer or seamstress, this is likely the best option for you.

But for everyone else, this might not be the best idea.

Pros: You’ll get total control over the designs, materials, and finishing touches. Plus, you’ll know every detail of the production timeline directly.

Cons: It demands a lot of your own time and makes it harder to handle bulk orders easily.

Tip: You can outsource some production processes to speed things up. For example, you may hire designers for new product lineups. Or you can employ tailors to stitch your designs.

Sourcing Lingerie at Wholesale Prices

Most of our clients start their lingerie brands through this model.

You just need to source lingerie from affordable clothing suppliers. And sell those products under your brand.

Pros: Spend most of your time “selling.” Fewer headaches in the production process.

Cons: Limited control over the designs and materials. If you’re not careful, you may have inventory issues when buying from new suppliers.

Best advice: Be cautious when choosing suppliers. DO NOT trust early. Order samples and avoid buying in bulk immediately.

Selling Lingerie Through Dropshipping

Here’s dropshipping lingerie in a nutshell:

You keep zero inventory, but you establish an online store. When customers order, you relay that order to your supplier. From there, your supplier ships the order to the customer on your behalf.

You only pay the supplier once you receive an order. Hence, you DO NOT need hefty investments.

Pros: No inventory risks. Less startup capital. Plus, you can increase your product selections with little to no inventory preparation.

Cons: You’ll have a lower profit margin. You cannot quality check the products prior to customers receiving them. Like the lingerie sizes could be all wrong. Not to mention, you won’t constantly be updated about the shipping schedule.

Conclusion

By now, about how to start a lingerie business you should have enough knowledge to start working on your lingerie brand.

Of course, this journey is easier said than done. But trust us, it’s probably easier than you think. Especially when you have the help of experts from JaceApparel supporting you.

Yep—we’re one call away from fulfilling your sourcing, designing, and branding needs. Best of all, the consultation is completely FREE! Request a quote now!

Source articles:

Profitability of lingerie stores: finmodelslab.com

Market value of lingerie: www.statista.com