Introduction

Influencers launching brands is no longer a trend. Over the last few years, India has seen a wave of creators and celebrities move from endorsements to ownership. Rapper King launched Blanco. Actress Sanya Malhotra stepped into the beverage space with Bree Matcha. Ranveer Singh co-founded SuperYou and Bold Care. Sanjyot Keer, the youtuber behind Your Food Lab has also built product-led extensions under the brand YFLHome beyond content. And then came UnderNeat by Kusha Kapila.

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Launched in March 2025, UnderNeat enters the women’s shapewear and innerwear category at a time when India is just beginning to normalize conversations around fit, form, and functional fashion. Unlike mature markets like the US, where brands like Skims operate in an already established shapewear ecosystem, India’s DTC shapewear space has largely been fragmented. Either legacy lingerie brands dominate offline shelves, or generic, unbranded sellers populate marketplaces like Amazon and Flipkart without strong brand narratives. UnderNeat is stepping into a whitespace. 

At Confetti, we took a look at their brand & here’s our honest take.

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What UnderNeat Gets Right

A Name That Is Clever, Layered, and Ownable

“UnderNeat” is deceptively simple. It plays on the word “underneath,” but with a twist. The separation of “Under” and “Neat” adds layered meaning. It suggests what lies beneath your outfit, while also implying neatness & seamlessness. Naming in DTC often swings toward either hyper-functional or overly abstract. UnderNeat sits comfortably in the middle. It feels modern without being try-hard. In a market where most shapewear is sold as product listings rather than as brands, this naming creates instant memorability.

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More importantly, it subtly performs category creation. In India, shapewear is still not a widely normalized everyday purchase conversation. By choosing a name that feels playful yet polished, the brand softens the stigma around intimate apparel. That’s not accidental, that’s just very solid positioning.

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Influencer-Led Distribution Done Right

One undeniable advantage UnderNeat has is day-one distribution is that Kusha Kapila is not just a face, she is the founder of the brand. And her audience is predominantly women within the 18 to 40 years demographic, precisely the target consumer for shapewear and innerwear solutions.

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This is where influencer-led brands often succeed early. The followers are not vanity numbers, they are aligned consumers. When UnderNeat launched, the Instagram page scaled rapidly because the funnel was pre-built. Unlike celebrity brands that rely purely on star power, UnderNeat benefits from a creator whose community already trusts her voice around fashion, lifestyle, and body conversations.

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Breaking Taboos Before Selling Technicality

A major mistake people make is comparing UnderNeat to Skims. That comparison is premature because Skims operates in a market where shapewear has long been normalized. The US consumer understands compression levels, contouring, seamless fits, and sculpting technology. India is still at the stage of comfort-first adoption.

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UnderNeat’s first job is not to sell advanced product specs, it is to normalize the category.  Campaigns like “Underwoman - I’ll Tell You What to Wear Underneath” do exactly that. Instead of leading with technical compression talk, the brand creates conversational content. What do you wear under a halter-neck dress? How do you avoid visible straps? What works for pear-shaped bodies? This educational entertainment format reduces awkwardness & makes the conversation comfortable because in a country like India, before you sell shapewear, you sell comfort with the idea of shapewear.

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Where the Real Test Begins

The challenge with influencer-led brands rarely shows up in month three. It shows up in year three. Right now, UnderNeat benefits from founder visibility, launch excitement, and rapid awareness. But influencer brands often face three structural questions over time:

First, positioning clarity. As more creators and UGC partners talk about the product, does the brand stay premium? Does it drift toward mass? Does it become discount-driven? The more voices you add, the more diluted perception can become if guardrails are not tightly maintained.

Second, longevity beyond founder momentum. Kusha Kapila is currently central to the brand’s identity. That works brilliantly in the early phase. But the true strength of a brand lies in its ability to stand independently of its founder’s daily visibility. If tomorrow the founder reduces content frequency or shifts public focus, does the brand still feel culturally anchored?

Third, influencer lifecycle risk. Unlike film stars who maintain multi-decade relevance, digital creators operate in faster cycles. Attention shifts quickly. The brand must eventually build equity that outlives algorithmic spikes.

This does not mean UnderNeat is fragile in any manner, it simply means the next phase requires sharper positioning discipline and brand architecture clarity. The short term looks strong & promising, but the long term will depend on strategic maturity.

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Final Verdict

At Confetti, we rate UnderNeat 4 out of 5.

The brand has made intelligent choices in naming, category entry timing, and founder alignment. It is breaking taboos in a market that needed soft entry into shapewear conversations. Its early communication strategy is culturally attuned rather than technically overwhelming.

However, the real brand-building journey begins after the launch buzz fades. Sustaining premium perception, tightening positioning, and building equity that stands independently of founder virality will determine whether UnderNeat becomes a long-term category leader or remains an influencer success story.

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About Confetti

Confetti is a branding and packaging design studio that partners with ambitious consumer brands across beauty, wellness, fashion, food, and lifestyle categories. We help brands move from momentary hype to long-term memorability by building cohesive brand worlds that scale across packaging, digital, retail, and narrative.

If you are building a brand in an emerging category and want to position it for longevity, you can connect with us through the link beside this article.