Lingerie: a sexy French word for an alluring little something to spark things up in the bedroom, teasingly wear out to clubs, dress up in to celebrate a special occasion or just wear under everyday clothes to feel excited and desirable. In adult stores, lingerie can help attract first-time customers, introducing them to the world of pleasure products. After all, it’s for everybody —regardless of gender, orientation, body shape, race, age or ability.
Among today’s leaders in the lingerie manufacturing world is Los Angeles-based Popsi, helmed by company CEO Sam Golshan, who started his career in lingerie by founding Popsi 20 years ago. Over the past two decades, he has accumulated extensive experience and insight into this ever-changing sector.
We want to continue to provide the best to our customers by continuing to create exceptional quality pieces at the finest prices.
“We originally started selling to large popular retailers such as Wet Seal, Forever 21 and Charlotte Russe,” Golshan shares. “However, when the economy crashed in 2008, we decided to switch our market and focus on the sexy lingerie industry, which is where we are today.”
Golshan has observed many trends and changes in the lingerie business during his 20-year tenure, and has always stayed ahead of the curve when it comes to deciding on what materials and textures to focus on with each passing fashion season.
Lingerie is made from a wide variety of materials, from barely-there sheer fabrics to deep, dense velvets. According to Golshan, the most popular fabrics used to create Popsi Lingerie have always been lace, mesh, satin and lightweight, versatile microfiber.
The range of color is similarly never-ending, continuously adapting to an ever-changing consumer base, including “lingerie influencer” models. According to Golshan, the most popular colors trending these days are green, burgundy, red, pink and neon — but he is quick to add, “Nothing sells as well as black!”
Then, of course, comes a whole range of styles designed to appeal to both wholesale buyers and retail customers. Standard industry designs include babydolls, lacy robes, panties of all styles, body stockings and much more, sometimes depending on the season and social media trends.
“Our bestselling items change on a month-to-month basis,” Golshan says. “We do carry staple items that have been with us for years: lace crotchless panties, teddies, cupless bras and crotchless bra sets. Our most popular items are our panties. Our crotchless panties are extremely popular, and both our regular and crotchless panties are available in plus sizes. We sell around a hundred thousand panties monthly!”
Reflecting on consumers’ evolving tastes in lingerie over the past 20 years, Golshan observes, “Change is inevitable, but one thing has stayed consistent over the years: Buyers are consistently looking for unique styles with good quality workmanship. Our main focus with Popsi, along with great prices, is making sure buyers can find styles that can’t be found anywhere else.”
One fairly recent development in the lingerie industry has been the inclusion of more plus-size styles, and featuring plus-size models on packaging. Adding more options, instead of the usual “one size fits all” approach, has had a significant impact on the design and manufacturing of lingerie at many levels and price points.
“Plus-size lingerie has always been a major focus for us here at Popsi,” Golshan says. “When we first started, we found that there was a void of ‘true to size’ plus sizes in the lingerie industry, so we began our company with plus sizing to get our foot in the door. It is how we began working with the majority of our big chain stores, who continue to buy from us today.”
Popsi is headquartered in downtown LA’s fashion district, where the company creates designs using the hundreds of fabric samples it receives frequently, constantly updating its available offerings. Once a design is approved, manufacturing takes place primarily in China.
“However, we are continuously looking at other parts of the world to help us create a better product at competitive prices,” Golshan notes.
With two decades of Popsi experience under his belt, Golshan has an eye on the future. He describes his plans for the next five years.
“We want to continue to provide the best to our customers by continuing to create exceptional quality pieces at the finest prices,” he says. “We have also recently expanded our line into dancewear, men’s and pasties, and want to continue by expanding into more categories.”
