Nude or skin-coloured lingerie has often been overlooked in the fashion industry’s push for diversity and inclusion. For a long time (too long), a ‘nude bra‘ meant one thing: a beige bra, sometimes a pinky-beige bra. To say it was difficult to find lingerie to cater to an entire spectrum of skin tones is, well, a whopping great understatement.
That’s why this week, Marks & Spencer – reportedly the UK’s ‘biggest bra and knickers retailer’ – has launched the ‘Nothing Neutral About It‘ lingerie campaign, offering more colours, more sizes and more choice within neutral bras and knickers. The brand say the campaign comes as a result of customers and colleagues claiming that they needed to do more and push for inclusivity.
“It prompted a bigger conversation around what products we sell, right down to the colours the industry use, and how we sell them,” a press release for the ‘Nothing Neutral About It’ campaign reads. “A large part of this was around the terms ‘neutral’ and ‘nude’. We set to work on creating a new definition of neutral with a truly inclusive range. So every woman – of whatever shape and colour – has got real choice and can look and feel fabulous.”
M&S’s lingerie team paired with the Culture and Heritage network to add five new shades – Opaline, Rich Amber, Rich Quartz, Rose Quartz & Topaz – to help redefine the idea of ‘neutral lingerie’. In terms of sizing, M&S bras are available in AA – H and knickers in sizes 6-28.
“We listened when our customers and colleagues told us we hadn’t got it right when it came to colour; both in the choices available and the way we talked about the neutral shades,” said Laura Charles, M&S Lingerie Director. “From the product offer to the names, to the marketing, we’ve worked hand in hand with our colleague Culture and Heritage network to deliver a campaign we’re proud of and an underwear range that provides more colours, more sizes and more choice so that all of our customers have the freedom to complement or contrast with their individual skin tone in a way that suits their own personal style.”
We hope to see even more from the brand’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Save when you shop with our Marks and Spencer discount codes.