LONDON — Ultimo is taking the plunge with Helena Christensen.
The British lingerie label, known for its cleavage-enhancing bras, has contracted the model as its latest face and body in an attempt to attract a new audience.
“We wanted to take the brand in a completely different direction,” said Michelle Mone, founder and co-owner of Glasgow-based Ultimo. “We think Helena will generate interest with the glossy fashion press and on a global level.”
The line garnered plenty of publicity when Julia Roberts wore one of its gel-filled bras in the film “Erin Brockovich” and caused a tabloid furor in the U.K. when Mone chose Rachel Hunter, Rod Stewart’s ex-wife, to replace Penny Lancaster, Stewart’s current girlfriend, as the face of the brand in 2005.
However, Mone said the company now wants to steer itself away from tabloid coverage and appeal to a higher-end market.
“We ticked all the right boxes in terms of design and production, but not until now in terms of fashion,” said Mone, who tapped photographer Nick Haddow to shoot the campaign.
“I’m delighted to be the new face and body of Ultimo, and am really looking forward to the campaign,” said Christensen, whose contract with the company is for two years, in a statement.
Mone particularly hopes the campaign will generate interest in the U.S., where the brand was launched six years ago in stores such as Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. However, a dispute with its distributor, Vivace, forced Mone to pull out of the market.
“We had to pull the reins in,” she said. “But the second time around, Ultimo is even bigger than before, and we think we can mirror the success we’ve had in the U.K.”
Ultimo is sold in the U.K. in stores such as Selfridges, Debenhams and on the Figleaves.com Web site.
Although Mone declined to give sales figures for the brand, she said turnover had tripled in the past year. Industry sources estimate the brand generates annual wholesale sales in excess of $15 million.
Mone launched Ultimo in 1999 with a liquid silicone-filled bra, for which the company holds a patent. Ultimo focuses on cleavage-enhancing bras; prices for the whole line range from about $18 for a lace thong to $70 for a lace corset in its premium Black Label collection. Another signature product, The Miracle Body, is a frontless and backless all-in-one shaper that retails for $70 and is designed to be worn with plunging evening gowns.
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Alongside Ultimo, Mone’s company MJM International houses three brands: Young Attitude, a lingerie range in larger cup sizes for younger consumers; Michelle for George, a line Mone produces for Wal-Mart-owned Asda’s George line, and Per Amore, which Mone produces for Irish supermarket chain Dunnes.