Angiya made with traditional fabrics and prints

Despite the profusion of brands on store shelves, most rely on a familiar rotation of spandex, latex, foam, mesh and lace, compelling women to choose between comfort and style before they make a purchase. But, thanks to the efforts of Angiya, bras have received an organic facelift, underpinned by ancient Indian construction techniques. “Angiya were worn by women in ancient India. In fact, they are mentioned in Kalidasa’s Shakuntala and Meghadoot. The angi was a garment that women created themselves and daughters learned how to stitch their own bras from their mothers. This changed during British rule and the tradition of making and wearing angiya faded from public memory,” shares Priyanka Thakran, the platform’s founder. Chancing upon her great-grandmother’s angi and recognising how much more comfortable it felt as compared to modern bras, she decided to revive angiya. These ‘Indian bras’ are handcrafted from organic fabrics, which include a variety of cottons and silks. The underwire is created using a traditional Rajasthani quilting technique, so that the bras are metal-free. The website offers you the option of choosing your coverage (a crop-top, bustier or T-shirt bra fit) and the garments can be worn as both inner and outerwear. Thakran adds that they’re in the process of creating a line of corsets that can be worn as saree blouses as well.  

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These are traditional Indian bras

Inclusive and empowering 

Shapewear should be true to size for the best fit. Pics/Instagram

Social media may be flooded with the Kardashians’ homegrown shapewear brand, but if you have any experience purchasing shapewear, you’ll realise that most North American or European brands aren’t suited to Indian body types. Butt-Chique, an all-Indian label, hopes to address this with their comprehensive range of shapewear that takes Indian bodies and skin types into account. 

“The purpose of shapewear is not to make you look thinner but to correct your posture and accentuate your curves. When buying shapewear, don’t give in to the notion that a smaller size will do a better job of holding your curves in — the actual shaping is done by the compression panel in the shapewear,” advises founder Kamakshi Agarwala, adding that the importance of picking the right size is what led her to create her brand’s own size chart and not borrow from standard European or American sizing. In addition to shapewear, they also offer body tape and pasties to help women of all body types to wear more risqué outfits with comfort and ease. The body tape and pasties are single-use and can be comfortably worn for up to eight hours.  

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Check out these women-led labels

. The Underworld.co for their funky prints and emphasis on comfort, especially for underwear
. Inner Sense for anti-microbial lingerie made of organic cotton
. Xxllent.com for plus-sized lingerie
. Brag for comfortable, wire-free bralettes