Mum spots gap in teen underwear market (From Croydon Guardian)

Eagle Eye

Read all the latest from the Eagles read more »

Text your news & pics

Text your news or pictures (plus 'SLNEWS' or 'SLPICS') to 80360. click here for details »

News RSS Feed

Mum spots gap in teen underwear market

8:30am Monday 12th May 2008

comment Comments (30) Have your say »

By Gemma Wheatley »

A Croydon mum has turned her hand to marketing and selling underwear exclusively for teens after she discovered a gap in the market when her daughter reached adolescence.

Sue Guerrieri, 33, from Shirley, has launched an online store - the SugaPlum shop - which is dedicated exclusively to lingerie for teens and sells a range specifically designed for girls hitting puberty and beyond.

�Mums know they can now find lingerie that is perfectly suitable for their daughters, not lingerie that is inappropriately sexy or too just too boring to appeal to their daughters.�
Sue Guerrieri

Sue said that unlike other teen lingerie, SugaPlum was designed to be fun, individual and practical.

The fashion expert spotted a major gap in the market for dedicated teen lingerie when her own daughter reached an age when she wanted the right underwear.

Despite her widespread search, she found nothing on the market reflected what teens really want. She said: "The SugaPlum Shop has been developed to meet teenagers' unique needs and tastes when it comes to buying lingerie.

"This is our exclusive focus and area of expertise. So much teenage underwear is bland and functional, but that is not what teenagers want. They want to wear lingerie that is trendy, individual and just plain fun - so that is the concept behind SugaPlum.

"Mums know they can now find lingerie that is perfectly suitable for their daughters, not lingerie that is inappropriately sexy or too just too boring to appeal to their daughters."

The entrepreneur has big plans for the SugaPlum shop and is planning to add new ranges, including her own designer range, later this year and a high street launch.

She also hopes that she can be an inspiration for other budding entrepreneurs. "Setting up this business has been hugely rewarding and challenging. I've pushed myself and I've poured all of my efforts into my quest for getting every little right.

"I firmly believe that if you have a passion for something, as I do with SugaPlum, then you should find a way to pursue it - and turn it into a great success," she added.

Print article » Email to a friend »

Your Say YourLocal Guardian

Victoria, South Norwood says...
10:56pm Fri 16 May 08

There is no gap in the market which requires "lingerie...designed for girls hitting puberty and beyond". Why on earth does society insist on sexualising our children at every turn? Why do children entering puberty or young teens need lingerie at all? Sue says that she is making lingerie that is not inappropriately sexy. So why call it lingerie - which ultimately means sexy and sensual underwear.

I think Sue should be ashamed.

Report this post »

ANNE GILES, SELSDON says...
4:41pm Sun 18 May 08

May I boldly suggest, Miss Victoria, that you learn a bit more about the English language and try looking up "lingerie" in the dictionary. The correct definition is: Ladies' Underwear, and if you would care to go into Allders Dept. Store you will find a Lingerie Dept., which sells every type of ladies' underwear - sexy, frumpish, sporting, etc. etc. Teenagers need to start wearing bras - that comes under the heading "Lingerie" - and at no time has this wonderful woman suggested that any of her underwear is going to be sexy. Now - just get rid of your nasty prejudices. We should all be proud of this lady - I wish her every success!!

Report this post »

Victoria, South Norwood says...
8:51am Mon 19 May 08

Anne,
When I want everyday,functional underwear, that is what I look for - underwear. When I look for lingerie, it is not the same functional underwear that I am looking for. A quick vox pop with a range of peers and colleagues, backs this view. I would also suggest that you have a look at the website, where she features incredibly inappropriate thongs
(just look at the backs!) for young girls and padded, push up bras in the 'my first bra' section. Why does a 10 - 14 year old girl, need a push up bra for her first bra if not to give the illusion that she has larger breasts than she actually does? And why should we be encouraging this? I am no prude,nor do I have "basty prejudices", but I do dislike the way the sexualisation of young girls is being normalised here.
I repeat my assertion that there is no gap in the market for these products - they can be found in every department store as you say, at every size. I suggest that Sue has not spotted a gap in the market in terms of products, but has spotted a gap in marketing which she appears fully intent on exploiting.

Report this post »

ANNE GILES, SELSDON says...
10:55am Mon 19 May 08

I, too, have had a quick vox pop with a whole range of peers and colleagues who disagree with your lot entirely. The word "lingerie" signifies "ladies' underwear", not "ladies' sexy underwear". Allders Lingerie Dept. has functional underwear for boring old prudes as well as sexy underwear. I am over 50, but would not be seen dead wearing anything that wasn't sexy. My bras have to show a considerable amount of cleavage and I don't wear nun's knickers either. A woman has a duty to look and be sexy - that is the whole essence of being female. If you've got it, flaunt it - that's my motto!!!

Report this post »

ANNE GILES, SELSDON says...
10:59am Mon 19 May 08

Part 2 - also, a woman should at all times look attractive - whether out shopping or even walking the dog. Make up is de rigueur - especially a good eyeliner to enhance one's lovely eyes. A good haircut and highlights as well - I recommend Toni & Guy's in Croydon. Having been brought up in a Latin American country, we think differently - too many English women think that they have to be plain Janes in order for men to treat them as though they have brains. Not true. The well endowed bosom and the brains go together. My husband absolutely loves it (or should I say them)????

Report this post »

PATRICIA DENNIS, SOUTH CROYDON says...
11:04am Mon 19 May 08

This is getting very exciting. I heartily agree. My husband simply cannot bear women who need to wear a label which states which is the front and which is the back!

Report this post »

ARABELLA HAMILTON FORTESCUE, SURREY says...
11:09am Mon 19 May 08

I see we are all here. The ladies who love it. It must be coffee time. I've just had an espresso. On the subject of make-up, the eyeshadow and the earrings should match the outfit, and the nail varnish should be either pink or a more orangey colour, depending on the colour of the clothes. No baggy trousers please. A lady should look attractive to men (nice educated men, of course) at all times. Always have a friendly smile and speak nicely. No glasses, please - contact lenses look better. Sit with your legs crossed and pull the skirt up slightly to show a bit of knee. There is nothing nicer than watching a man's eyes gazing enraptured upon one's body. A woman needs to feel admired.
Any more posts???

Report this post »

AUNTIE BOKO, ENGLAND says...
11:18am Mon 19 May 08

Yes - here I am. I just wish this wonderful woman the very best of luck in her venture. I will certainly have a look at her web site. When I was a teenager I developed an awful complex because my mother made me wear horrible clothes. I went to a party where all the teenage girls were dressed up and I was sent in white socks and a silly ribbon in my hair. Needless to say, nobody asked me to dance. A few years later, she sent me to a wedding in awful clothes and - nobody asked me to dance either. Eventually, I managed to flee the nest - and - boy, oh, boy, I partied three nights a week - nightclubs till 3 in the morning, smooching in the park, love bites - whoopee!!!!

Report this post »

LORD FAUNTLEROY, FAUNTLEROY CASTLE says...
11:44am Mon 19 May 08

Whilst I am not joining the ladies' coffee group, I would like to add a gentleman's point of view. A lady should always look her best. Some women in this country feel insulted if a man looks at them anywhere other than straight in the eye, but these women are not normal. A well dressed, well endowed woman is like a portrait - one should spend time gazing upon it.

Report this post »

BOB THE BUILDER, BUILDING SITE says...
1:01pm Mon 19 May 08

Yeh - good stuff mate!

Report this post »

HELENA PANTYHOSE, SELSDON says...
1:25pm Mon 19 May 08

I agree that it is wrong to sexualise teenage girls, but these are difficult years and making young girls dress like complete frumps is just as bad and utterly demoralising. Girls want to be like their peers and they will do so, whether they are allowed to or not. My sisters and I used to hide away when we wanted to read excerpts from "Lady Chatterley's Lover". We had boy boarders living in our house, which was part of a school and we spent some time investigating ourselves- all part of learning, of course.

Report this post »

ANNE GILES, SELSDON says...
1:33pm Mon 19 May 08

I have just had a look at the website and there is nothing that could possibly be considered unsuitable for a teenage girl. The items are colourful and lovely. If your mothers don't let you buy them girls, go out with your friends and spend your pocket money!! I can't imagine many of you have mothers like Victoria.

Report this post »

Victoria, South Norwood says...
4:36pm Mon 19 May 08

"A woman has a duty to look and be sexy". Are you for real? I would laugh if it your lack of intelligence wasn't so sad.

I go now, on a mission to seek out women in Croydon with more than one brain cell between them. I encourage you all to stay and chat and discuss how you can share your few brain cells most effectively. Anne has a dictionary, so that's a good start. Good luck girls!

Report this post »

ANNE GILES, SELSDON says...
10:10pm Mon 19 May 08

You sound like someone from the pleated skirt, twin set and pearls brigade, who probably thinks an **** is something you plant in your back garden. Thank goodness the rest of us are different. And that doesn't mean we have no brains - on the contrary, we are all well educated, well paid professionals.

Report this post »

ANNE GILES, SELSDON says...
10:13pm Mon 19 May 08

Sorry - the word was blocked out - it is O.g.sm.

Report this post »

ANNE GILES, SELSDON says...
10:14pm Mon 19 May 08

The blocked out word is the thing you get when you start screaming "Oh, my God"!!!

Report this post »

Anna, London says...
10:40am Tue 20 May 08

Reading these posts has made me feel sick. I can't believe so many women out there believe that their sole existence is to make someone else happy. I can only hope that you were all born 100 years ago and this is your conditioning, not a choice you have actively made in the last 20 years because you feel better being patronised than having your own life. YUK! Anne, there are many reasons why we don't want young girls sexualised too early; the high rape rate in this country being one of them. No one is suggesting we should all wear functional pants, just that maybe we shouldn't push our kids to grow up too soon. Also re the **** comment - why is that people assume that not wanting to get your t*ts out in public means you don't have great sex? You're weird.

Report this post »

ANNE GILES, SELSDON says...
10:50am Tue 20 May 08

Try going to Paris or to any Spanish, French or Italian city - and you will see that women are chic and well made up. They take pride in their looks. This is not, as you think, just to make a man happy - it makes us happy as well. Women like to be admired - it does wonders for our egos. We are not being patronised by anyone - we do exactly what we like. I don't tell my husband that my highlights and haircut cost over £100 - unless he asks. I agree that young girls should not be sexualised - but the lingerie this woman is selling is not sexy - it is pretty. I had parents who dressed us appallingly badly and it took a long time to get my self esteem back. Nobody is going to look at the girls' underwear, anyway. It is worn UNDER their clothes. I also think it's wrong that teenagers have sex as young as they seem to do now, but years ago they were all playing with themselves anyway - it's all part of growing up.

Report this post »

TEENIE BOKO, LOST IN TRANSIT says...
10:54am Tue 20 May 08

She is right. As a teen, I must agree there. My underwear (lingerie) is only seen by myself, but it makes me feel good. I wouldn't let a boy have sex with me until probably 17/18, but when I was around 10 we used to put our hands down their trousers and count up to ten. All part of learning, of course. Most parents have no idea what their kids get up to, and we would never let on, anyway.

Report this post »

LORD FAUNTLEROY, FAUNTLEROY RUINS says...
11:30am Tue 20 May 08

Quite agree. At my boarding school we never saw girls, of course, but we pin-ups on the wall and certainly played with ourselves. Watch any film about a boys' school and that will be mentioned from time to time. Funnily enough, the films about girls' schools never mention "the unmentionable", yet all girls do it as much as boys (so Lady Fauntleroy tells me). She said the girls at her boarding school were forced to wear "bloomers". Girls were not allowed to be seen talking to boys within a mile radius of the school!!!

Report this post »

LADY FAUNTLEROY, THE RUINS says...
11:31am Tue 20 May 08

The greatest excitement came when the local boys' boarding school raided our girls' school. Wonderful!!!

Report this post »

Julie Barton, London says...
1:25pm Tue 20 May 08

If only I'd had a my little pony thong when I was a teen...I could be married to a millionaire with a yacht & ponies by now, instead of being a dried up bitter prude who wouldn't know what an **** was if I fell over one in the street!

Report this post »

ANNE GILES, SELSDON says...
1:45pm Tue 20 May 08

Millionaires don't particularly go for teenagers with pony thongs, my girl - what nonsense. Who in their right minds would want to marry a millionaire, anyway? Marry for love - that is the most important thing - not money. The only millionaire I am friendly with was one of the former drummers with "The Who" and owns the polo club we go to - his wife is a highly intelligent, well educated lady who runs the place totally and all four children are very well educated. This is a working class man brought up in the East End who made money through his music and works extremely hard - he gives an awful lot to children's charities and is a very friendly, down to earth person. (Not interested in pony thongs either)!!!

Report this post »

TEENIE BOKO, LOST AGAIN IN TRANSIT says...
1:50pm Tue 20 May 08

What is a pony thong? Something ponies wear???? I am poor, so don't own a pony.

Report this post »

ARABELLA HAMILTON FORTESCUE, LEAFY SURREY says...
2:01pm Tue 20 May 08

(Out of breath from running): Sorry ladies- I missed the coffee. Anyone for a spot of lunch? Do any of these prudes use vibrators like the rest of us, I wonder???? Every self respecting woman should have one. Funniest thing was at a Latin American airport when it started buzzing in my husband's hand luggage and I pulled it out and held it up in the air - hoots of laughter!!!!!

Report this post »

Sue, Shirley says...
11:07pm Mon 26 May 08

Written with a sad heart!

Hi Victoria,

I felt it only fair that I come on line and defend myself and my business, Victoria I would first like to say, SugaPlum has never and will never exploit teenage girls, that is not the concept behind SugaPlum, neither has the product I sell been sexy or raunchy.

By default the word teen means anyone of the age 13, which means all items sold on Sugaplum are for adolescent girls. My daughter Geneva didnt start to develop until she was 12 hence the reason I set up SugaPlum. Everything on the market today is inappropriate or just functional, and what do you after your daughter has out grown that 34B white bra where do you go then to buy underwear that is not sexy?? La senza???

There are one or two items that have placed in the wrong place on my site, and the description of items should be clearer, all of these I am working on and will have a more up to date site in the coming weeks.

I am not pushing anything onto young girls and I feel very hurt by your comments. Our children are developing younger and younger due to food changes, and our environment why shouldnt they have a place where they can buy underwear that is meant for them and not for say you and I what is wrong bright colours on a bra? And the Thongs you were referring too would be for older girls, and lets not forget that customers that have bought my products are mums just like me, or older teen girls.

I have received loads and loads of emails from mums asking if Im going to increase my cup sizes, one example was from a mum who told me that her 14 year old daughter is a 34 EE cup that is just one example of emails I regularly receive.

Of course you are entitled to your comments but I would urge you to obtain the facts before throwing accusations about something until you have the full story. By the way what kind of underwear did you wear when you were growing up? Can you honestly say that if there was a place that you could buy underwear just young girls you wouldnt be interested in visiting that place?

King Regards
Sue

Report this post »

ANNE GILES, SELSDON says...
9:48pm Thu 29 May 08

Good for you, Sue. What a wonderful letter - I hope she reads it.

Report this post »

christina, south east london says...
12:47am Sun 1 Jun 08

I must say i am highly disappointed in people like Victoria who do not get their facts right before they judge. I have actually visted the web site, seen and felt the product in question for myself. The bras sugaplumb sales are not at all sexy or provocative for teens. i wish Sue the best of luck and i indeed think Sue has spotted a GAP IN THE MARKET. Stop hating and come up with somthing others can benefit from.

christy

Report this post »

arnold414, texas says...
6:13am Fri 1 Aug 08

Boarding private school provides a place where teen can fully develop his personality along side with his studies. It is a place where he can mature much early than his counterparts who are studying at schools and can learn various skills that are used in daily life.
http://www.teenspriv
ateschools.com/

Report this post »

bevan, sghh says...
10:20am Tue 5 Aug 08

Private Teen School teen school are schools for the teenagers. Students of these schools always give the best result which is being expected by the teachers. Because the teachers are very dedicated towards their work so they always encourage the students.
http://www.teenspriv
ateschools.com/

Report this post »

Your sayYourLocal Guardian

comment Add your comment

Register for a FREE Croydon Guardian account and you can have your say on today's news and sport by adding comments on articles we publish. The best comments may even get published in the paper.

Please register now or sign in below to continue.