LAS VEGAS – The International Lingerie Show is in full swing following a full day of product exhibitions inside the Rio Hotel and Casino’s convention center, which culminated with a fashion show and evening festivities.
Attending ILS for the first time in several years were We-Vibe founders Melody and Bruce Murison.
“We’re just here checking out what’s new in the industry and catching up with old friends,” Melody Murison said.
Along with the rare opportunity to meet the creators of what’s considered “the No. 1 couples vibrator in the world,” We-Vibe’s clientele were treated to demos of the company’s newest releases, including the Tango Pleasure Mate collection – We-Vibe’s first kit that includes the Tango bullet with the Glow and Dusk attachments that turn the vibrator into either a G-Spot of anal toy.
“A lot of shoppers that are new to anal are sometimes to shy to come right out and ask for an anal toy at a store,” We-Vibe’s Denny Alexander said. “This gives them a good excuse to buy an anal toy discretely packaged with other items.”
We-Vibe also demonstrated the functionality of its newest We Connect app. Available in 12 languages, the app is password protected but no sign-up is necessary.
“The app allows for more control than ever before,” Alexander said. “Users can create custom vibration patterns and have more refined control over them.”
The app remote features independent motor control and five bonus modes, as well as allows users to make and save their own custom vibration patterns. With the We-Vibe app couples can play with each other from anywhere in the world.
Veteran lingerie designer Shirley of Hollywood exhibited its latest venture at ILS – designer dogwear. Hollywood Poochie includes corsets, vests and mini harnesses, as well as leashes and collars.
“After 65 years of designing lingerie, we’re expanding into a different industry,” Shirley of Hollywood’s Tony Walczuk told XBIZ. “We started this line about a year ago and it now features 15 styles, several of which match Shirley of Hollywood lingerie outfits.”
Justin Sayne is a leather artist from Arizona who’s been offering custom designs for the past five years. His products include whips, paddles and corsets crafted from crocodile and alligator hides, as well as other animal-friendly materials. He told XBIZ the “Fifty Shades” craze has been incredible for his business.
“I want to show that there are unique alternatives to the materials that are typically used in BDSM products,” he said, noting the difference in sensation that a different material can produce.
While reinventing existing BDSM gear, Sayne also discussed an upcoming design intended to make auto-asphyxiation safe. “I had a friend die because of it and there’s so many incidents of auto-asphyxiation gone wrong – and all because there’s not a product out there intended to make it safer. It’s more than just about selling it, I want to help people be safe.”
The IVD/ECN booth, which is situated in the middle of all of the action on the show floor, offered a larger space to accommodate more customers and manufacturers. The booth displayed items from more than 20 manufacturers with company reps offering demonstrations. Among the participating vendors was Adventure Industries.
“We really hit it out of the ball park at this ILS,” Adventure Industries’ Adam Hasner said.
U.K.-based Hot Octopuss displayed the newest reinventions of its XBIZ award-winning couples toy, Pulse.
“What we did is resolved all the issues we received feedback on and turned it into two products – one that truly is a couples toy and another that’s specifically for male solo play,” Hot Octopuss CEO Adam Lewis said.
The PULSE II collection features the Solo and Duo. PULSE II Solo, to be used by men, is waterproof and features five pre-set vibration modes. PULSE II Duo, to be used by couples, also comes with five pre-set vibration modes and is waterproof, but also features independent, controllable vibrations for her via a remote control.
High-end pleasure products distributor Entrenue celebrates its eight-year anniversary at ILS. The company exhibited in its long-established centrally located booth, maintaining a steady stream of visitors – as is typical for the company, according to CEO Joe Casella.
“This show is a home run always – no matter if it’s the spring edition or in the fall,” he said. “We always write the same big orders.”
FemmeFun is a brand-new company that launched just two weeks ago with 10 vibrator designs with innovative features such as touch and sound-activation, thrusting capability and electro-stim. The company complements the range with medical-grade metal fetish items, as well as a powder lube called Lust that is activated by water.
“We wanted to offer products for both the male and female markets,” the FemmeFun company owner said. “All of our items come in high-end packaging and are all very high quality.”
Teddy Love showed off its discreet teddy bear vibrator at ILS. Teddy Love features a motor built into its muzzle that makes its nose and tongue vibrate with 10 powerful speeds.
Teddy Love creator Wendy Adams told XBIZ that more add-ons are in the works, and the flagship item is being heralded as “paradigm-shifting."
“We’ve been getting an unbelievable response,” she said. “People say it’s refreshing to see a non-phallic shape and it’s something you can leave out and no one will know what it is. Women develop an emotional attachment to teddy bears all the time, and this is the first toy you can actually snuggle with after playing with him.”
The International Lingerie Show continues through tomorrow.
