NEW YORK — There’s a lot on Playboy’s plate when it comes to lingerie.
The icon of lascivious lifestyles will be jumping into the U.S. lingerie market this spring with a new brand called Playboy Intimates white-label, a better-price line of sultry-looking undergarments. The theme of the upscale collection is Luscious Babes, a retro-inspired ode to the magazine’s blatantly sexy cover girls and centerfolds of the late Sixties and Seventies, said Aaron Duncan, senior vice president and creative director of global licensing at Playboy Enterprises International Inc.
The summer line, called Show Off, will represent the glitz and glamour of Beverly Hills and the Playboy Mansion, as well as the hedonistic lifestyle of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. Other vintage-inspired themes for intimates will include American Vaudeville for fall and a romantic Dreamscape venue for winter, he said.
The introduction of high-end lingerie, which includes the moderate-price Playboy Intimates pink-label, launched in 2001, is part of an apparel, accessories and home collection that generates retail sales of $600 million annually in 130 countries. This does not include Playboy’s $338 million publishing empire.
“We wanted it to be playful, sexy and provocative, with exclusive patterns, laces and embroideries. It’s not just about the bunny logo and slapping it on the lingerie,” said Duncan, who noted the line is aimed at a core consumer base of “18 to thirtysomething” women who connect with a message of being “sexy, living the good life.”
“You’re a Playmate when you put Playboy lingerie on,” continued Duncan, who works with senior design manager of product marketing Erica Paul to glean inspiration from the Playboy archives, which date back to 1953, when Marilyn Monroe was the magazine’s first cover girl.
Special treatments for the lingerie launch include subtle matte-and-shine bunny logos on bra straps; elastic picot edge trims; embroidered bunnies and Playmate images; archival cameo portrait shots of former Playmates wearing bunny ears; contrasting embroideries on point d’esprit mesh; ruffle effects and keyhole openings on the backs of panties, and embroidered butterflies.
Styles include unconstructed triangle-shape and underwire bras, novelty panties, slipgowns, camis and corsets. Suggested retail starts at $12 for panties and goes up to $95 for corsets. Produced under license in Thailand, China, Turkey and Australia, the collection features two groups: a sophisticated line of silk, chiffon and lace for international distribution, and a classic venue primarily rendered in cotton for the U.S.
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The white-label brand, which was initially launched in Europe this fall, was unveiled at the Salon International de la Lingerie trade show in Paris and the Lyon, Mode City fair in Lyon, France. So far, the top-booking items are corsets, said Duncan.
“Corsets do well for us because of the influence of the bunny costumes, and anything bling is strong,” he said.
Paul said Playboy has striven to get the right formula for the international market, noting that she and Duncan stage “lingerie summits” featuring the Playboy stylebook twice a year in Asia and France for licensees, which include Kyra Mode in Thailand, Sansei and Renown in Japan and Keys International in Hong Kong and the U.S.
“We want to make sure there’s the same theme, the same color palette and graphics so there’s a global consistency,” explained Duncan. “We encourage our licensees to use the same factories.”
So far, lingerie under the white-label is sold at major specialty stores and boutiques in Hong Kong, Thailand and the U.K., as well as at four Playboy concept shops in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Las Vegas and Melbourne, Australia. In the U.S., the line is available at Mixona in Manhattan and was part of a Valentine’s Day promotion called “Cupid’s Lair” at Henri Bendel.
As for why Playboy waited to get into the lingerie business, Duncan explained that the company went through a “transformation” in 1999 when chief executive officer Christie Hefner, who also is Hugh Hefner’s daughter, made the decision to launch Playboy apparel for women.
“The bunny head was on everything from air fresheners to fuzzy dice, and the brand had become too low-end,” said Duncan. “Lingerie was obvious, but we had not solidified our position. Many times, apparel sets the tone for the brand. I think if we had started with lingerie first, people wouldn’t have taken us seriously.”