California Apparel News

Lingerie either is trying too hard to be sexy or it is dull and utilitarian, said Vy Nguyen, founder, designer and chief executive officer of Lolli, a Laguna Beach, Calif.–headquartered swimwear brand.

Nguyen hoped to offer an alternative with Lolli’s new intimates capsule collection. She released the collection on Black Friday weekend on her brand’s website, www.ilovelolli.com. It will be exclusive to the brand’s e-commerce site until the end of 2018. Wholesale price points range from $9 to $18.

The collection’s mission is to be affordable and cute. “It’s not super racy,” Nguyen said. “We’re feminine, but we are on the flirty side.”

Unlike swimwear, lingerie is not seasonal. Being able to sell a collection all year-round is one reason Lolli introduced the intimates line, which is only a slight design departure from the swimwear brand.

The swim collection was started in 2010 offering whimsical swimwear for women, with looks inspired by little girls’ clothing and Nguyen’s favorite sweets.

Even though lingerie and swimwear are similar categories, Nguyen said there was a learning curve to make lingerie. Sizing for bras is much more detailed than sizing for swim tops. Lingerie also calls for different fabrics than those used for swimwear. She also had to use different factories. Lolli’s swimwear is manufactured in Bali, and the lingerie line is manufactured in China.

Lolli’s lingerie line offers three sets, mostly made out of mesh and lace. One look offers a hot-pink color way with hot-pink accents. Another set was inspired by activewear where the bralette features wide elastic nylon straps reminiscent of a sports bra. Attached to the straps are metallic details such as rose gold–colored fasteners in the shape of hearts. The collection also features a nude-colored bra and panties. Silhouettes for panties feature thongs and underwear with fuller bottoms.

Lolli has remained an independent label with fewer than five people on staff. But the brand has made a splash. Since 2017, it has collaborated with Target to sell Sugar Coast by Lolli, which is swimwear half the price of Lolli’s regular line. Sugar Coast separates retail for $30 while Lolli separates start at $69. Lolli also produced a swimwear collaboration with the gift and accessories brand ban.do.

Kardashian-family members have been spotted in Lolli. Model and social-media star Sofia Jamora had one of her first modeling gigs with Lolli, appearing in photos in 2015 for Lolli’s Valfre line.

One of Lolli’s extracurricular activities for the brand included designing a room with pink mirrors for the Museum of Ice Cream in downtown Los Angeles earlier this year.

In 2019, Nguyen hopes to add more styles to her lingerie collection by introducing a collaboration with the Hello Kitty cartoon character and clothing line.