MATERNITY WEAR, WHERE?

For those of you who are moms, you know that pregnancy lasts beyond the 9 months. For those not yet mommies, I say ‘beyond the 9 months’ because you are not going to feel the same physically or emotionally for a long time to come.


Emotionally you can feel ecstatic and overwhelmed all within an hour…. But physically you have changed permanently. Whether it’s those engorged breasts or the still protruding (though jelly like) uterus, minus the baby! Add to that the weight you’ve picked up during the pregnancy. Getting back in shape WILL take time…anywhere between 6-9 months. Which means that you need those maternity clothes much longer than you had initially anticipated. And here is where I think there is a huge gap between demand and supply.


When I first started buying maternity wear, I was amazed at how expensive it can be. Even if you want to spend three thousand bucks on that sad looking maternity dress, you will be disappointed by the lack of options, especially if you prefer western wear.


The reason retailers (and there are just 2 serious ones in the market!) focus on Indian kurtis/tunics and salwars is clear… there is more demand for them. Remember how even Ash R Bachchan was mostly seen in Indian clothes when preggers? It’s just an Indian thing to cover up and not accentuate the belly bump. The western wear in stores comes from foreign brands the retailers have tied up with. Their lines are limited (through my 9 months of pregnancy, the western wear line changed once!) and not very easy on the pocket.


Even as I conditioned myself to wearing empire cut kurtis, one fine day I stumbled upon a treasure chest online! A reputed international maternity wear brand had a limited edition sale on an Indian online shopping website. The prices were affordable and more importantly, the clothes were designed to make a pregnant woman feel cute and happy (as opposed to clothed Humpty or Dumpty, take your pick!). The dresses were flirty, the tops doubled up as nursing wear and the denim pants came in more colours than blue! I had hit jackpot!


I went click happy of course but I kept wondering why Indian designers/manufacturers can’t make use of this excellent gap in the market through online sales. And I think it’s a great way for a young designer to develop a niche. There is no cost of a showroom, no store manager to pay and the volumes you need to produce are manageable in a limited infrastructure! All you need is someone who can manage your website and orders and if you’d rather not find that person, tie up with one of the many successful online shopping portals. But design for the ‘upwardly mobile’ pregnant woman FIRST! She is net savvy and looking for good design for which she may be willing to pay a premium.

The baby beckons now, but I’m hoping the next time the stork is calling and I need a fashion forward garment to take away those pregnancy blues, there is someone creative and enterprising out there who dares to deliver!