Made in St. Louis: Flirty line of vintage lingerie promotes feel-good femininity

SUSAN PIONTEK

Family • Divorced mom of twin sons Jacob and Nicholas, 29, and a daughter Natalie, 23.

Home • Creve Coeur

What she makes • A line of vintage-inspired lingerie that can be worn under dresses or slacks or as lounge and sleepwear for women of all shapes, sizes and ages under the brand Sassy Chassis. All her fabrics, laces and labor are sourced in the United States. Order her items at sassychassisusa.com.

Tell us about Sassy Chassis. Our staple is a marriage of slip and panty and gives women more, with less. It comes in two different lengths; the Bloomer, being slightly shorter and the Boomer, which is slightly longer by 2 inches. Both styles are available in several flavors: Marshmallow, Vanilla, Licorice, Red Hots and Cotton Candy. Seasonally, new flavors will be offered.

Why did you decide to make lingerie? I have always loved lingerie but often found it constricting. I wanted to create something that was flirty, functional and fiercely feminine and lest I forget … comfortable. I was determined to create a line of lingerie that could be enjoyed by women of all shapes, sizes and ages. Sassy Chassis is available in sizes XS to XXL.

Do you think wearing sexy undergarments affects people? I absolutely do feel that wearing beautiful lingerie can be a very provocative experience; not just for the potential “eye of the beholder” but also for the benefit of the woman who is adorned by it. I believe that by looking and feeling attractive and alluring, that a woman is more inclined to project that confidence and sensuality outwardly. There is also the mystery factor. Someone once said “a woman’s best weapon is a man’s imagination.” The French have a saying “Je me sens bien dans ma peau” translated: I feel good in my skin. I want all women to feel that way.

Your items have a vintage feel. Is that on purpose? Most definitely, yes. Vintage clothing shows an attention to detail that I absolutely love. The fabrics are superb and are usually of a higher quality.

Where can people buy/find your items? Currently, you can purchase them online at sassychassisusa.com, and I am currently in discussion with buyers and retail owners. So stay tuned by going to my website and Sassy Chassis Facebook page.

How do you plan to expand your line? The Sassy Chassis top, which I call Lesley, will be coming out in the next couple of weeks and can be worn with the Sassy Chassis Bottoms, under a suit jacket or with a skirt for an evening out or as loungewear or sleepwear. Right around the corner is an elegant and practical robe with the same fabrications. Also, a bridal line … and there’s already a line in the works for little girls and young girls and something special for sororities.

What’s your day job? By day, I’m an educator and a life coach. In the past, I have taught French, gifted children and kids with challenges.

How much do your items cost? $42 to $75, and because the bridal line is made-to-order, the expense will differ somewhat.

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Flipkart Amazon threat: Lingerie e-tailers eye more funds

BENGALURU/MUMBAI: Lingerie e-tailers Zivame and PrettySecrets have hit the road for their new round of funding, banking on growing their private labels to differentiate themselves in a highly competitive market. While Zivame is looking to raise over $25 million, rival PrettySecrets is also eyeing a new round of around $10 million.

The move by these vertical e-tailers comes as horizontals like Flipkart-Myntra, Amazon and Snapdeal — which have billions of dollars in funding — are pushing aggressively into the lucrative fashion category.

“With the current funds, Zivame is looking to rapidly grow its customer base, aggressively spend on its ‘FIT stores,’ and invest in technology and marketing,” said an investor in the company, adding that the e-tailer is currently in talks to raise about $25-$40 million in its next round. Zivame raised about $5 million in a bridge round from existing investors Unilazer Ventures, IDG Ventures and Kalaari Capital late last year, according to three sources directly aware of the developments.

According to a report accessed by ET, Zivame is looking to close fiscal 2015 with Rs 50 crore in gross merchandise value on a loss of about Rs 35 crore. Zivame initially started out as an aggregator of lingerie brands like Enamor, Wonderbra, Jockey, and Amante. But since 2013, it started private label brands to make up for the restricted customer base. The company gets about 30% of its sales from its private label high-margin Penny and Cou Cou brands.

PrettySecrets originally started as an offline nightwear brand, which was sold at 300 points of sale across the country before founder Karan Behal decided to shift the business online in late 2012.

The private label has now emerged as one of the largest brands in the category, encompassing lingerie and sleepwear as well as niche categories such as shapewear and beachwear. While its main business channel is on its website, the majority of its Rs 2.5 crore monthly revenue comes from marketplaces like Jabong, Myntra, Flipkart and Amazon, and holds 20-25% share of Jabong and Myntra’s lingerie sections.

Zivame is, however, following a different strategy when it comes to selling on horizontal sites. “Right now, we are hardly selling on other platforms.

We are a nice category player and getting enough visibility for now. As of now, we do not have plans to sell on other marketplace,” said Richa Kar, CEO, Zivame. Investors are of the view that competing with well capitalized horizontals, which attract at least over 5-6 times traffic, is not a viable strategy in the long run.

“These players cannot survive by directly competing with players like Myntra-Flipkart and Jabong. What can be done is that they can become largest sellers on these online fashion e-tailers,” said Anand Lunia of India Quotient, which has invested in PrettySecrets.

Zivame, which claims to be India’s largest online lingerie store, sells selections ranging from everyday lingerie essentials and maternity wear to shapewear and nightwear. Since last year, the Bengaluru-based company has pioneered many services including ‘Try at Home’ and ‘Fit Consultants,’ and currently has a 12,000-square-foot warehouse that processes delivery orders within two hours.

Meanwhile, investors also believe that online private labels can emerge as India’s largest lingerie brand, overtaking offline players like Lovable Lingerie which reported revenues of Rs 160 crore in FY14. Other players in the category include Moodsofcloe.com and Laceandme.com in the online lingerie space. Smaller competitors such as Bengaluru-based Oyegirl had shut down last year.

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