ten dollars september 2007 - FMMG.com

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promoted effectively.”
Lawrence, who has more than 15 years of
sales, marketing and strategic planning experience
in the fashion industry, has held various
sales positions at Ellen Tracy, ENK
International Shows and Michael Aram.
In his new role as sales and marketing executive
for Rago, Lawrence is responsible for assisting
road representatives in the U.S, France,
Germany and Japan. Lawrence can be contacted
at rodney@ragoshapewear.com. — D.C.
dineila debuts swim & lingerie
Neila Granzoti Rudden and her company,
DiNeila Brazil, recently unveiled their
spring/summer ‘08 swimwear and lingerie collections,
which were inspired by the elements of
nature found in Neila’s native Brazil.
DiNeila Brazil swimwear designs are tropical
and bright, while the textiles feature advancedtechnology
Lycra, reports the company. Rudden
feels that the Brazilian bathing suit shape isn’t
18 SEPTEMBER 2007 BODY • WWW.FMMG.COM
represented enough in the U.S. market.
“A smaller bathing suit bottom is actually more
flattering on a woman than a larger style, even
for those of us who have curves,” said Rudden.
Dineila also has a complete lingerie collection
full of embroidery detailing. For more information
visit www.dineila.com. — D.C.
myla to open 2nd ny store
London-based, highend
lingerie company
Myla is looking to
increase its U.S. presence
by opening a second
store in New York.
“Expanding our pres-
ence in the U.S. is very
Sonia Vara
important to us and we
plan to expand in a major way,” said sales director
Sonia Vara.
The company said the opening will occur in
the next five months. — D.C.
chantelle taps marketing head
Chantelle announced
that Mona Esphahani
has taken over as the
company’s new head of
marketing. Prior to taking
on her new role
with Chantelle,
Esphahani has worked
Mona Esphahani
with several companies,
including Ballys of Switzerland and Escante.
— L.D.
zoe & co. in n.h.
Zoe & Co., retailer of intimates and professional
bra fitters, announced the opening of a new
store in Concord, New Hampshire. By the end
of next year, Zoe & Co. hopes to open other
retail locations. — L.D.
mary jo bruno intros dresses
Mary Jo Bruno, known for her lingerie, will be
launching a collection of dresses for spring ‘08,
in sizes 2-14, in September.
“I saw women in the streets all the time with
our sleepwear on, so I figured why not create
dresses,” said Bruno.
Mary Jo Bruno reports the dresses will have
modern day looks with touches of vintage
romanticism. The dresses
will be available at the
Manhattan Beach,
California store and will
retail for $300 to $350.
Mary Jo Bruno’s
spring pieces were
Mary Jo Bruno
recently picked up by
Saks Fifth Avenue.
— D.C.
soleil toile opens new store
Soleil Toile opened a new store in New Canaan,
Connecticut last month. The new store is located
at 44 Elm Street and can be reached at (203)
966-2887.
Additionally, Soleil Toile is in the process of
adding e-commerce to its website. For more
information visit, www.soleiltoile.com. — L.D.
tia lyn teams with humboldt
Tia Lyn has recently teamed up with Humboldt
Merchant Services for credit card processing.
“I have found that credit card rates are lower
than working with factors,” said Lyn, who is
excited about offering the new service to customers.
Other new additions
to the company include
Jon Marzu, who was
hired to serve as the
company’s new director
of customer service.
Marzu, who previously
worked as an architec-
Jon Marzu
tural engineer for a consulting
company is
“excited” about his role on the business end of
Tia Lyn’s lingerie company. Marzu is responsible
for contacting new and existing customers, following
through with orders and market research.
— L.D.
boutique lingerie goes to u.k
Boutique Lingerie will showcase some of the
finest lingerie, loungewear, sleepwear and accessory
brands from all over the world at Fifty-Four
Boutique Hotel in London, September 16-18.
Exhibitors at Boutique Lingerie London will
include Samantha Chang, Emily B, And God
Created Woman, Commando, Fleur T, Myla
and many more.
For more information call (212) 374 -9417 or
e-mail Boutique Lingerie at intouch@boutiquelingerieshow.com.
Fifty-Four Boutique
Hotel London is located at 54 Queen’s Gate,
SW7 5 JW London, United Kingdom. — D.C.
simple necessit-ease: leakproof
Simple Necessit-Ease, Inc. introduced a new
type of panty at Lingerie Americas. Known as
the Period Undie, the underwear protects wearers
against embarrassing leakage onto clothing
that may occur during menstruation.
The bikini undie is made with a brushed 95
percent cotton, 5 percent spandex fabric and
includes advanced technology to create an
undergarment that looks and feels like ordinary
panties, explains the company. The undergarment
includes a breathable, waterproof panel
sewn discreetly inside the underwear, which
protects against leakage, but is designed to be
unobtrusive to the wearer.
The company donates a portion of the proceeds
of sales to various pediatric brain cancer
research organizations. For more information
about Period-Undie, visit
www.periodundie.com. — D.C.
kush aids in sleep
Many side-sleeping and large-breasted women
often notice wrinkles growing in their cleavage
area and resort to sleep bras with straps to hold
their breasts in place.
Kush, which was
introduced at Lingerie
Americas, is a new tool
for women that allows
them to keep their
breasts a natural shape
while providing com-
plete support through-
Cathinka Chandler
out the night. Kush features
an anatomically contoured design with a
slip resistant surface.
“I wanted a sleep accessory to provide comfort
and breast support when I slept on my side,” said
CEO Cathinka Chandler. Kush is offered in cup
sizes B, C, and D, and is available in three skintones,
which are nude, mocha. and ebony.
To learn more about Kush, visit
www.arcluxe.com. — D.C.
bello moves to greenwich ave.
Bello Mondo USA, distributors of Oroblu, Miss
Sixty Leg, Swim and Beachwear and Energie,
recently opened a new office on Greenwich Ave
in New York City. — D.C.
lingerie americas in review
The intimate apparel and swimwear industry
met once again at New York’s Metropolitan
Pavilion and Altman Building, August 5-7, for
the 11th edition of Lingerie Americas.
This year’s edition of the show saw a rise in
attendance and had several highlights including
an appearance by Mark Badgley and James
Mischka, and most importantly, functioning air
conditioning units.
According to Lingerie Americas CEO Patrice
Argain, this year’s show brought in 2,750 buyers,
an increase of 1.5 percent over last August’s
attendance.
“We are especially
pleased with the strong
attendance at this edition
of Lingerie
Americas,” Argain said.
“In fact, we would not
have been surprised to
see a slight decrease in
Patrice Argain
visitors, since West
Coast buyers now have
the opportunity to attend our new show in Las
Vegas.”
Satisfied shoppers were not only able to work
with 273 intimate apparel and swimwear brands,
they also had the opportunity to relax in the new
Lingerie Française lounge. The lounge offered
visitors insight into French Lingerie brands such
as Aubade, Chantelle, Huit, Lejaby and Simon
Pérèle. To encourage visitors to head to the
upper levels where they could view other brands,
there were attractions on the fourth and fifth
floors including the Las Vegas Lounge and a gift
bag giveaway.
February dates were put under examination
this year in a buyer’s survey. Ninety-two percent
of visitors (80 percent of whom represent specialty
stores) requested that the show be held
after Valentine’s Day.
“The first 15 days of February are the highest
selling for retailers,” said Argain. “We wanted to
do something to help them. The results of our
survey suggested that 92 percent of them wish to
have the show after Valentine’s Day. ‘Let us
work! We have to see customers. We have to sell
to customers,’ they said. Otherwise they won’t
come to the show or will spend less time at the
show so they can get back to their shops.”
Because of the survey, New York show dates
were changed to February 24–26.
Argain is expecting a successful turnout for the
first Las Vegas edition of Lingerie Americas.
“We are experiencing continuous growth and
this is quite good,” he said. “We started the New
York show years ago with 122 brands. Vegas will
be larger with 150 brands.”
Argain remains undeterred by the rising competition
his show faces in both New York and
Las Vegas. “It’s all about providing the best service.
That is not going to change because we
have competition,” he said. “We are always trying
to improve, stay professional and provide the
best service possible.” — L.D.
unifi appoints new members
Unifi, Inc.’s board of directors appointed two
new members to its board.
George R. Perkins, Jr. was appointed chairman
SEPTEMBER 2007 BODY • WWW.FMMG.COM
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