Key Points

• Xu Zhaohui has spent more than two decades shaping China's intimate apparel industry through product development, body research, pattern engineering, and design management.

• Drawing on experience across merchandising, logistics, R&D, and product strategy, she believes successful lingerie begins with understanding the human body—not trends.

• As consumers increasingly value comfort, emotional connection, and long-term wearability, product development must balance design, structure, materials, manufacturing, and real-life user experience.

• This interview is part of Women of 24 – The Intimates Vanguard, a Curve Shanghai initiative documenting the women whose professional expertise continues to shape the future of intimate fashion.

  
  

Women of 24 | Xu Zhaohui: Designing Lingerie That Stands the Test of Time

Behind every successful lingerie product is a long process that few consumers ever see.

Years of body research. Endless rounds of pattern refinement. Material testing. Manufacturing adjustments. Wear trials. Countless design revisions.

While trends often dominate industry conversations, the products that truly remain in women's wardrobes are rarely created overnight. They are the result of decades of accumulated knowledge about the human body, technology, craftsmanship, and changing lifestyles.

Yet the people responsible for this work often remain behind the scenes.

To recognize these professionals, Curve Shanghai launched Women of 24 – The Intimates Vanguard, an ongoing editorial project dedicated to documenting the women whose long-term commitment continues to shape the intimate apparel industry.

Rather than celebrating titles or awards, the initiative focuses on professional experience, industry insight, and personal reflection—creating a lasting archive for both experienced practitioners and the next generation of designers.

Following our first interview with May Pu, Head of Interfilière China, we are honored to present the second feature in the series: Xu Zhaohui, one of China's most respected lingerie product development specialists.

Witnessing the Evolution of China's Lingerie Industry

Many people assume the lingerie industry changes simply because fashion trends evolve.

Those who have spent decades developing products understand something very different.

Every visible change consumers experience is built upon years of invisible work—research into body shape, innovations in textiles, improvements in manufacturing techniques, evolving consumer lifestyles, and continuous market education.

Only after these foundations mature does an entirely new generation of products emerge.

Xu Zhaohui has witnessed every stage of this transformation.

After studying Fashion Design and Engineering at Donghua University during the 1990s, she entered the intimate apparel industry and gradually built experience across merchandising, logistics, product planning, research and development, and design management.

During nearly twenty years at the Wacoal China Human Science Research Center, she experienced the industry's transition from corrective and shaping lingerie to comfort-driven products, lightweight construction, and today's emphasis on emotional value, aesthetics, and everyday wearability.

For Xu, lingerie has never been simply about fashion.

It is about understanding people.

Interview

Q1. Over the past two decades, you've worked in merchandising, logistics, research and development, and design management. Looking back, how have these different experiences shaped the way you work today?

Xu Zhaohui:

I studied Fashion Design and Engineering at Donghua University. At that time, lingerie wasn't considered an independent industry in China. It was simply viewed as one branch of apparel.

After graduation, I joined Audrey, a Taiwanese lingerie company that had just entered mainland China.

Because the company was still building its local operations, I had the opportunity to work across many different departments. I was involved in merchandising, promotions, advertising, and even logistics for several months.

It was challenging, but looking back, it became one of the most valuable experiences of my career.

It helped me understand the market rather than just products.

I learned how products are planned, how consumers make purchasing decisions, how inventory should be managed, and how different regions have completely different market characteristics.

All of these experiences later influenced the way I evaluate products.

After four years at Audrey, I joined Wacoal and officially entered product research and development.

That was when I truly became immersed in lingerie development.

Body research.

Pattern engineering.

Material selection.

Consumer testing.

Japanese companies invest enormous patience in product development. They are willing to spend years researching before launching a single product.

Looking back, I think my career naturally falls into two chapters.

The first taught me breadth.

The second taught me depth.

Together, they shaped how I approach product development today.

Now, when I evaluate a product, I don't only ask whether it looks beautiful.

I instinctively ask whether it truly works, whether consumers will actually integrate it into their daily lives, and whether it can exist as a complete product rather than simply an attractive design.

Q2. How do your previous experiences in merchandising and logistics influence your product decisions today?

Xu Zhaohui:

Those experiences made me highly sensitive to one thing—execution.

Many ideas look wonderful at the concept stage.

Once they enter the real market, however, every detail suddenly becomes practical.

Can the supply chain manufacture it consistently?

Can the cost structure support it?

Will consumers continue wearing it after the first purchase?

These questions naturally become part of my thinking from the very beginning.

People who only focus on product design sometimes overlook market realities.

They forget about manufacturing costs, production complexity, or long-term commercial viability.

Having experienced the entire product journey allows me to evaluate products from a much broader perspective.

Ultimately, lingerie should always begin with the wearer.

Consumers may not describe products using technical terminology, but they know immediately whether something feels comfortable on their body.

That feeling is always genuine.

Q3. After spending many years in an R&D environment, what are the first things you evaluate when developing a new lingerie product?

Xu Zhaohui:

To be honest, I still look at the appearance first.

Consumers experience the design before they experience anything else.

Lingerie may be highly functional, but people must first want to buy it.

Only then will they begin to appreciate its performance.

If the product fails to create an emotional connection visually, even outstanding functionality may never have the opportunity to be experienced.

Of course, beautiful design alone is never enough.

Once development begins, my attention quickly shifts toward the product's foundation.

I evaluate the structure.

The pattern.

The materials.

Lingerie is different from most garments because it interacts directly with the human body.

If the underlying structure is not correct, the visual design can never truly succeed.

Materials are equally important.

Different fabrics influence support, coverage, flexibility, and comfort in completely different ways.

Today's consumers expect much more than shaping or support.

They also value softness, lightweight construction, aesthetics, and emotional satisfaction.

Product development is therefore no longer purely an engineering exercise.

It has become an ongoing effort to understand how products can better serve today's bodies and modern lifestyles.

Q4. After moving from R&D into design management, how do you balance creativity, cost, craftsmanship, and consumer needs?

Xu Zhaohui:

When balancing different factors, I always focus on one key question:

What value does this product ultimately bring to consumers?

In the past, when I worked mainly from an R&D perspective, I paid more attention to whether the structure was technically feasible, whether the function could be achieved, and whether the manufacturing process was realistic.

But after moving into design management, my perspective expanded.

I began to consider the bigger picture:

What does this product series represent?

How will consumers understand the brand message?

Does this product fit naturally within the overall product portfolio?

In today's market environment, cost is also an unavoidable factor.

Sometimes designers have very creative ideas, but during development, challenges emerge around manufacturing processes, cost control, or wearing stability.

At that point, the key is not simply to preserve every design detail, but to identify the most valuable elements and make strategic adjustments.

Consumers usually remember the overall feeling of a product rather than a complicated construction technique.

A modification is not necessarily a compromise.

It is often about finding a better balance within real-world conditions.

For example, a brand may preserve the most important visual element at the front of a garment while simplifying other areas, or adjust certain construction details based on modern consumers' washing habits and usage scenarios.

These decisions should never be random.

They should come from a deep understanding of how consumers actually use products.

Design management is not only about managing design.

It is about integrating aesthetics, functionality, manufacturing, cost, and consumer behavior into one complete system.

Q5. After experiencing so many stages of the industry, how do you now judge whether a lingerie product is truly successful? Has your definition changed over time?

Xu Zhaohui:

Today, I pay more attention to whether a product has the ability to exist for a long time.

A successful product should not only look attractive.

More importantly, it should earn consumers' trust and continue delivering value over time.

I increasingly focus on whether a product has a stable relationship with the human body and whether it provides lasting wearing value—not simply whether it follows a short-term trend.

A truly successful product is often not the most dramatic one.

It may not create the strongest first impression, but it is the product consumers are willing to wear repeatedly and rely on.

However, today's market is very different from the past.

E-commerce brands have flatter structures, faster decision-making processes, and stronger storytelling capabilities.

They can quickly create narratives around products and introduce them to consumers.

This creates a challenge for traditional lingerie brands.

Traditional brands often have longer development cycles and stricter internal processes. At the same time, the product development efforts behind their products are not always easy to communicate to consumers.

Therefore, whether a product succeeds is no longer determined only by the product itself.

It also depends on how the product is presented, communicated, and connected with consumers.

Sometimes a good product fails not because it lacks value, but because its story was never effectively delivered.

Q6. For young designers or product developers entering the lingerie industry, what is the one thing you would recommend they focus on first?

Xu Zhaohui:

I would encourage them to develop a deeper understanding of human anatomy, especially the complete fitting process.

Intimate apparel is fundamentally a product that interacts directly with the human body.

Many young designers today naturally focus first on trends, visual language, and style expression.

Those elements are important, but without a strong understanding of body structure and wearing experience, the foundation can become weak.

To become a true professional, you need to understand the deeper knowledge behind the product.

For example, lingerie fitting is a highly specialized process.

It is not simply about putting on a garment and checking the appearance.

Professionals need to understand:

• How the body moves during different activities

• How pressure is distributed

• How materials behave in different areas

• How construction affects comfort and support

These skills require long-term practice and observation.

I also want to tell young professionals:

Every experience matters.

Some experiences may seem unrelated at the time, but they often connect later in your career.

For example, the advertising work I did early in my career later helped me understand brand communication.

Working across both client and supplier perspectives also allowed me to better understand different sides of the industry.

You don't need to overcomplicate your career path.

Even when you are still learning or waiting for opportunities, the most important thing is to consistently do your work well.

Q7. You have experienced many different stages of China's lingerie industry. Looking back, what do you think is the biggest difference between today's market and the past?

Xu Zhaohui:

I think the industry was actually more diverse in the past.

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, many different lingerie brands were exploring different directions.

Consumers had access to a wider variety of styles and product concepts.

Later, the market gradually moved toward several dominant trends.

For example, products became increasingly focused on seamless designs, comfort, and functionality.

Of course, comfort is extremely important.

Consumers have already recognized that comfort and functionality are basic requirements.

However, the industry today sometimes moves too quickly toward the same direction.

Many brands begin following similar concepts and product expressions.

In recent years, we have started to see another shift.

More niche brands and younger designers are emerging with stronger individual identities. They are creating more distinctive products and communicating with younger consumers in new ways.

Some of these products still have room for improvement in terms of craftsmanship and wearing performance.

But at least the market is becoming less uniform.

If a brand can truly serve its own target consumers, it can still build sustainable growth.

I hope the market continues to develop with more diversity—not only in products but also in expressions.

Because consumers themselves have always been diverse.

Editor's Note | Why Xu Zhaohui?

In the intimate apparel industry, we often hear conversations about brands, trends, and markets.

But we rarely hear from the people who actually create products.

Many of the factors that determine wearing experience happen behind the scenes:

Body research.

Pattern adjustments.

Material testing.

Construction improvements.

Manufacturing balance.

These processes are rarely visible to consumers, yet they form the foundation of the intimate apparel industry.

Women of 24 aims to document not only the people who are visible in the market, but also those who have spent years working within product development, research, and technical systems.

Because many of the industry's most valuable insights are not created overnight.

They are built through years of practice, observation, and continuous improvement.

Through these authentic career journeys and industry memories, we hope more young professionals can understand that intimate apparel requires more than creativity.

It requires a deep understanding of:

• The human body

• Product development

• Manufacturing realities

• Consumer needs

The future of intimate apparel will belong to those who can connect all these elements together.