The lead up to Valentine's Day is not the only time local lingerie labels reel in sales, as figures released by the Australian Trade Commission (ATC) today (February 14) have confirmed.
Exports of women's lingerie totaled $9.7 million in 2010, with key buyers of Australian-owned lingerie including New Zealand, the UK, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and Singapore.
ATC chief economist Tim Harcourt said while men's underwear sales were included in the $9.7 million figure, “women's lingerie still beats the pants off the men's category in terms of volumes”.
He referenced Pleasure State, Bulb and Lusty Threads as among the Australian-owned lingerie brands contributing to Australia's export dollars. Pleasure State, established by Kay Cohen, is available in over 1500 stores in 30 countries.
Lingerie exports could not compete with other Valentine's Day favourites, however. Harcourt revealed Australia exported over $13 million in flowers in 2010, while chocolate was the largest sales spinner, raking in $208 million in exports in the same period.