Naughty Rituals Wants To Do For Luxury Lingerie What D2C Brands Did For Beauty: Make It Accessible

For years, India's lingerie market operated at two extremes.

On one side were functional, everyday products focused almost entirely on utility. On the other were aspirational international labels offering exquisite designs, luxurious fabrics, and fashion-forward silhouettes, often at prices that placed them beyond the reach of most consumers.

Arisha Nigam saw an opportunity in the gap between the two.

As founder and designer of Naughty Rituals, Arisha is building an intimate-wear brand around a simple but ambitious idea: luxury lingerie should not be reserved for a select few.

"We've been conditioned to believe beautiful lingerie is either something you hide or something that's only accessible if you're willing to spend a fortune," says Arisha. "I wanted to challenge both ideas."

The timing could hardly be better.

India's lingerie market is experiencing significant growth, driven by rising disposable incomes, growing fashion consciousness, increasing digital adoption, and a new generation of consumers seeking premium experiences. Industry estimates value the Indian lingerie market at over $5 billion, with projections suggesting it could approach $10 billion by the end of the decade. The premium lingerie segment alone is expected to more than double over the next several years as consumers increasingly trade up to higher-quality products and elevated designs.

These shifts are creating opportunities for a new wave of direct-to-consumer brands that understand modern consumers differently.

For Arisha, however, the business opportunity emerged from a cultural observation.

Growing up, she noticed how lingerie occupied a strange place in Indian society. It was an everyday necessity for millions of women, yet it was often surrounded by embarrassment and secrecy.

Women were encouraged to hide it while drying it.

Conversations around it were whispered.

Something worn daily was somehow treated as taboo.

"Nobody thinks twice about a shirt hanging on a clothesline," she says. "But lingerie somehow became something women were expected to conceal. That never made sense to me."

That belief eventually evolved into Naughty Rituals.

Today, the brand's collections feature everything from statement lingerie sets and bodysuits to babydolls, garters, stockings, collars, gloves, and swimwear. The aesthetic leans unapologetically luxurious, borrowing cues from global fashion and premium intimate-wear trends while remaining accessible to Indian consumers.

Arisha's goal is not to create inexpensive alternatives to luxury products.

Instead, she wants to democratize luxury itself.

"Women shouldn't have to choose between beautiful design and affordability," she says. "Why should a similar set cost four times more simply because it carries an international label?"

That philosophy has become one of the brand's strongest differentiators.

At a time when consumers are increasingly embracing "affordable luxury" across categories ranging from beauty to fashion and accessories, Naughty Rituals is positioning itself as a premium brand without the traditional luxury markup. The trend mirrors a broader shift across India's consumer landscape, where aspirational shoppers are increasingly willing to invest in better products, but expect stronger value in return. 

Beyond pricing, the brand has built a loyal following through its unapologetic stance on body confidence and self-expression.

Its campaigns consistently challenge conventional beauty standards, showcasing confidence across ages, sizes, and life stages.

For Arisha, lingerie is not about external validation.

"It's about how a woman feels when she wears it," she says. "Whether she's single, married, dating, building a business, or simply enjoying her own company, she deserves to feel powerful in her own skin."

That message appears to be resonating.

As India's premium lingerie market continues its rapid expansion and online lingerie sales are projected to grow at double-digit rates over the coming years, brands that combine strong design, cultural relevance, and community-driven storytelling are likely to shape the category's future. 

For Naughty Rituals, the ambition extends beyond selling lingerie. The brand is participating in a broader cultural shift, one where confidence is no longer treated as a luxury, and neither is beautiful lingerie.

If Arisha succeeds, she won't just build a successful fashion brand. She'll help redefine how an entire generation of women thinks about intimate wear.