Sex in a Box: $400 Toy, Lingerie Subscription Service Launches

First there was Birchbox for beauty. Then came BarkBox for dogs. Now there’s Blush Box for the bedroom.

<!–
–>

The latest subscription-commerce startup is dedicated to the booming sex-toy industry. And no, its founder isn’t a former porn star or a massive “Fifty Shades of Grey” fan — it’s adman Kenny Tomlin, who started digital agency Rockfish in 2006 (which he sold to WPP last year).

Blush Box is a venture Mr. Tomlin is pursuing independently from those companies, though he did hire Rockfish to handle branding and other creative assets.

“I’ve always believed that I’m a better leader of [an agency] when I’m also a practitioner of what we preach,” said Mr. Tomlin. “If we’re good at building brands and companies for our clients, we should be able to do it for ourselves.”

Still, as far as pet projects go, it’s an unexpected one for the conservative Mr. Tomlin, who before entering advertising attended the seminary and earned a master’s degree in theology. The work is a departure for the agency, too, which has mostly worked with buttoned-up brands like Walmart, Cisco and recently, the Mitt Romney campaign.

But Mr. Tomlin says he’s been following subscription-commerce businesses closely and sees opportunity in the model.

Indeed, the space does seem headed for a climax. Established players like ShoeDazzle and Birchbox are growing — the beauty-oriented Birchbox recently bought Paris-based Joliebox to grow its global footprint — while offers exist in just about every vertical. There are specially-curated boxes for those interested in gourmet foods (Love With Food) to health and wellness (Klutchclub) and even one just for people with curly hair (CurlBox).

With that kind of saturation, it’s no surprise there’s already an entrant in the sex arena — a service called BoinkBox. But Claire Roberds, chief merchandiser at Blush Box, insists it will serve up classier, higher-end products due to the retailer’s relationships with luxury and specialty brands, such as Lelo, which carries silk blindfolds, whips and fancy dildos and plugs. Many of those items cost more than $150 a piece.

The first Blush Box will be unveiled in early October and will contain a mix of lingerie, vibrators and personal massagers, and intimate wipes.

The boxes are geared to women, and everything arrives in a discreet, unmarked packaging. Subscribers should expect each delivery to include between five and 10 items. Future contents will include more sex toys, scented lotions and shower gels, massage oils, candles and lip plumpers. “Anything that helps women feel sexy and sultry,” said Ms. Roberds.

Some vendors are providing samples for free to include in the first couple of boxes, but going forward Blush Box expects brands will pay to be included. A selection of specially curated themed boxes will be available, too, such as the “Blushing Bride” for wedding night, honeymoon or bachelorette parties, and a Valentine’s Day box that will be available early next year.

Blush Box isn’t cheap. It goes out once a quarter, and costs $99 for pay-as-you-go or a yearly subscription costs $400. That’s steeper than say, Birchbox, which is $110 for a 12-month subscription (though it’s mostly all small-sized samples). If you sign up for a full year of Blush Box, you can shave about fifty bucks off.

Whether people will pony up, remains to be seen, but so far the sex industry has been recession-proof. A Scientific American article last year noted that sex toys are a $500-million-a-year industry in North America, with the industry growing, thanks to Tupperware-style parties and more big-box retailers stocking the items. And that was before the “Fifty Shades of Grey” craze, which observers say is fueling more purchases.

Initial marketing for the service will include paid search and social-media outreach starts immediately, combined with PR efforts. Starting in November, a bigger paid-media push will tout themed-boxes and subscription packages as gifts in time for the holidays.

Cindy Gallop, another advertising-exec turned entrepreneur in the sex space with her venture called MakeLoveNotPorn.tv, is rooting for Blush Box. She welcomes all initiatives that are aimed at “getting sex more publicly talked about,” though she would prefer to do away with discreet wrappers on Blush Box to help break down the societal norms around people being embarrassed about sex or buying sex toys.

“If you are setting out to build a brand in this area, you have to set out to break the ridiculous social puritanism around this topic, because unless you do, you’ll always have trouble growing your brand and business.”

Share and Enjoy

Aimer Catches the Latest Fashion Trends

BEIJING, Sept. 24, 2012 — /PRNewswire/ — As we witness the latest fashion shows on the catwalks of New York, London and Milan, the picture of what is in for S/S 2013 begins to become clear. Though every designer draws on his or her own design language and techniques to grab your attention, we are surprised to find two common elements arise frequently in the core of this extravagant fashion party.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120924/CN79533)

The lavish use of lace and chiffon

We see these two materials all over the runway. From evening gowns to skirts, from tank tops to shirts, they are everywhere. Some designers add lace as detailed features and others choose to combine these two exquisite fabrics together, but both for the same sole purpose: the ideal illustration of female mystique.

Lace, as well known to all, is used to show the delicate side of femininity and if matched with chiffon, we find this aura only amplifies. In addition, we see some designers put chiffon over the mini skirt. This is definitely a very fresh way of dressing. For those who are uncomfortable in a mini skirt, such style makes a mini more wearable.

Elegance is all the rage

No matter who the designer is or what material is mainly used, you can always sense a touch of elegance on every catwalk in recent fashion weeks, which once again makes us believe elegance never goes out of time! Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Philosophy, Vera Wang, Antonio Berardi, Erdem, just to name a few. These collections once again blow our minds by elevating women’s elegance to a new level. The surprising thing is, most elegant pieces on the runway can also be worn every hour of every day.

Aimer’s finding: surprising overlaps

Aimer, as a leading lingerie brand, never loses sight of what is the hottest in lingerie fashion. So, besides fashion weeks, we also attended several lingerie shows this year to take a sneak peek at next season’s lingerie trends. Surprisingly, we find some interesting overlaps between the latest lingerie trends and the 2013 S/S fashion trends.

First, we saw infinite varieties of lace. Some of them are very costly, worth hundreds of dollars per yard. One brand we saw in New York even used real gold foil lace. Second, elegance prevails. Embroideries are widely adopted to show the elegance and delicacy of the female form. We can see that embroideries are still a key element of any lingerie. Third, a new lingerie dressing style begins to surface. On the catwalks of both fashion weeks and lingerie shows, a combination of mesh, silk, chiffon and leather matched with lingerie ultimately leads us to a new look of lingerie as fashion.

Aimer masterfully translates the latest fashion trends

Within the lingerie industry lace is a lasting theme. The Aimer lace bra is the staple all fine lingerie brands stand upon. So this line has always been one of our primary design focuses. We adopt top Switzerland imported lace with excellent stretchability to provide a comfortable, highly breathable fit. This adds an irresistible elegance to our product. Aimer’s Lace Series not only complements a woman’s natural curves and shape, but also provides the sex appeal no other design can.

Aimer has long ago taken elegance as part of our brand’s DNA. We believe every woman deserves her own style of elegance and fine lingerie can definitely add elegance to a woman’s life. Inspired by this goal, we allocate substantive attention to find the perfect combination of material, color, print and embroidery. With Aimer’s continuing efforts, elegance becomes an achievable experience. 

Aimer is dedicated to delivering the best lingerie with fashion and comfort.

For more information, please visit: http://www.aimeronline.com/

About Aimer Group

Founded in 1993, Aimer Group is a leading brand in the world lingerie market, creating mid to high-end lingerie products dedicated to women aged between 25 and 40. The brand is fast gaining international recognition as a leader in intimate wear for the modern woman.The company focuses on ensuring its creations are “exquisite, elegant and confident”. The group’s creative team designs more than 400 new products every year by using new high quality materials—ensuring each piece’s original and innovative features are highlighted.Combining eastern and western culture and design concepts, the group provides its customers with high quality and unique underwear that enjoys both fashion and function. Aimer Group’s main brands include Aimer, Aimer Men, and Aimer Kids. The full range of products includes lingerie, shape wear, sleepwear, homewear, swimwear, thermal wear, sports wear and accessories.

Contact Information:

Aimer Customer Service Tel: +86-10-8477-6134 Email: customerservice@aimer.com.cn

SOURCE Aimer Group

Order Reprint

Share and Enjoy