Expectant mums aren't the only ones buying modern maternity wear
Maternity wear is no longer about frumpy gowns, and pregnant women aren't the only ones buying it, writes Jeanette Wang
When Reika Shetty started maternity wear store Mayarya in June last year, she never expected to have any "regular" women as customers. It turns out that 30 to 40 per cent of the growing clientele at her two outlets in Sheung Wan and Stanley Plaza are women who are neither pregnant nor nursing.
"I didn't expect any regular customers because the traditional mentality is if you're not pregnant, you wouldn't walk into a maternity wear store," says Shetty, 35, mother of two-and-half-year-old Arya and nine-month-old Maya.
I don't think a pregnant woman has to give up her own sense of style
The surprising customer base stems from how fashionable - and functional - maternity wear has become. Gone are the tents, aprons, muumuus and other shapeless frocks that pregnant women used to hide their bumps.
These days, maternity wear is form-fitting and well cut and designed to show off the baby bump and accentuate pregnancy curves. They tend to have nursing access - slits in the material over the chest to aid breastfeeding - smartly concealed by fabric layers.
Maternity wear is also being designed to last mothers through pregnancy, nursing and many years after. With medical bills, shopping for the newborn and the need to save for the future, splashing out good money on a wardrobe that will last only about 10 months is the last thing a mother-to-be needs.
"Our philosophy is bump-friendly, but not bump-only," says Shetty, wearing a body-hugging, floral-print dress that you'd never guess was maternity wear.
