Marcia Kilgore’s “thank you” to Hamburg, Germany, more specifically to its beauty consumers, didn’t come in the form of a note, or even a song, but rather an art installation, “Die Badende” (“The Bather”), a statue of a giant man-made woman bathing in one of the city’s most famous bodies of water, Alster Lake.
In a phone interview today discussing the upcoming launch of her bath, body and skin care line, Soap & Glory, into U.S. Sephora stores in mid-September, Kilgore said the bathing woman installation, created by Oliver Voss, was her way of thanking Germany for making the launch of Soap & Glory in the retail chain Douglas a success.
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“Everyone said [the brand was too irreverent for the market]. That they will never get the joke. They are so serious. Well, we went in nine months ago and we have had great success. This was a ‘thank you’ to the people of Hamburg for getting our sense of humor,” said Kilgore, who explained that Soap & Glory, which launched in the United Kingdom in 2006, was inspired by a kitchen apron, tabloid headlines and a beautiful takeout container. She attributes the line’s success to its “affordable luxury” positioning. The brand had been sold in the U.S. exclusively in Target for several years until Kilgore ended the relationship in spring 2010 due to the retailer’s “low inventory levels,” which led to customer complaints, Kilgore said.
The “mermaid,” as Kilgore refers to the bathing woman, took two days to install, weighs two tons, measures 65 feet and is made of steel and 100 percent recyclable Styrofoam, which she assured is earmarked to be used for housing insolation. The mermaid’s makeup, Kilgore explained, had to be reapplied twice as it kept rubbing off. “The Bather” is planned to be in Alster Lake for another nine days.
Globally, Soap & Glory generates an estimated 48 million pounds, or $78.2 million at current exchange, said Kilgore, who is also the original founder of Bliss day spas and FitFlop.