Cosabella Pumps Up Inclusivity With New Underwear Sizes Across Genders
Cosabella is taking diversity and inclusion to the next level.
The luxury lingerie brand will soon offer select underwear, sleepwear and swimwear styles that fit across all body types.
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The new size categories are no longer defined by “women’s wear” or “men’s wear,” Guido Campello, co-chief executive officer and creative director at Cosabella, told WWD.
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“It’s technically fitted underwear — no matter their body type — across traditional men’s and women’s,” Campello explained. “It’s the same style across genders, but it also takes into consideration waistband and cup sizes,” or volume in the crotch area.
“It’s a different way of looking at men and women, from what society tells us,” he said. “The next big challenge for retailers will be not giving products based on gender.
“Since this brand was founded, we’ve had a history of challenging the industry to shift how they cater to different bodies and remove the barriers for self-expression associated with body image, sexual identity, gender and age,” continued Campello, referring to the company his parents founded 40 years ago and is now run by himself and his sister Silvia Campello. “After four decades, we’ve organically evolved past thinking about women’s wear and have finally reached the point of progress as a society. It’s a beautiful time.”
But Campello is quick to point out it’s not the same as gender-neutral products.
“Gender-neutral is the same cut — small, medium or large — across all body types,” he said. “It doesn’t take into consideration comfort, fit and support. As lingerie brands that’s what we have to do. Apparel brands can kind of run away from that. But in lingerie, you still need technical fit across the cup and band sizes, or else you’re not going to sell product.”
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The sizes will be available in Cosabella stores, cosabella.com and Journelle stores and its website, which is also owned by Campello and his wife Sapna Palep, in October.
Meanwhile, Cosabella is in full-on expansion mode.
In February, Cosabella teamed up with Free People for a design collaboration. One month later the brand launched beauty, starting with fragrances, followed by swimwear over the summer. This week, Cosabella is teaming up with branding agency King & Partners for a new logo, imagery in stores and a social media campaign. The innerwear business will also be beefing up its teen lines early next year.
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