Photo: Eats Lingerie
FASHION
Intimates Line Eats Lingerie Makes Its Debut
Sales of lingerie have not taken as much of a hit as other categories in the apparel industry since the COVID-19 shutdown began in March, said Gemma May, creative director and designer for Eats Lingerie, a new Los Angeles brand of intimate pieces.
She and Chris Applebaum, the founder of the Eats Channel media platform, also based in Los Angeles, felt comfortable taking a risk on introducing a new lingerie label because stay-at-home orders could help their new venture.
“Sex sells,” May said. “Lingerie is something to wear at home for yourself or for your partner. Maybe the best time is the current situation.”
Agreeing with May’s sentiment, Marshal Cohen, chief industry adviser for market-research firm The NPD Group, said lingerie is a smart business venture to cultivate during a shelter-at-home period.
“The overview is that intimates and, even more so, pajamas have been the leading categories in all fashion,” Cohen said. “Indoor lifestyle has had a boost of all kinds.”
May and Applebaum wanted to position Eats as a lingerie brand that would have the high-end cachet of the Agent Provocateur label but with more-accessible price points. It is currently being sold through the brand’s direct-to-consumer channel, eatslingerie.com. Retail price points range from $24.99 for hosiery to $89 for a bra. An entire set comprising a bra, a pair of thong-style panties and garters retails for $200.
Styles include demi-cup bras in addition to panties created with Italian eyelash lace and iridescent embroidery that affords a shimmering look. Each lingerie set includes a gold-plated charm, also manufactured in the Los Angeles area, which give the label’s lingerie collections exclusive identities. Black Cherry, the first collection, features a charm in the shape of a cherry.
Collections are manufactured as limited runs of 300 pieces, a practice that is intended to drive value as collectors’ items, May said. The brand hopes to make two collections per month.
May said that the lingerie is for a woman with a strong sense of self. “It’s a strong, confident woman that we are designing for,” she said.
Before 2019, May served as the U.S. public relations and marketing director for the Australian lingerie brand Honey Birdette. May later joined Eats to serve as its creative director. At that time, Applebaum forecasted that there would be an opportunity to develop a lingerie brand for the Eats platform. Pieces have been worn by influencers and celebrities such as Emelina Adams, a former Guess? model and actor on the Netflix show “13 Reasons Why.”
Eventually, the Eats lingerie brand will expand into other styles such as bralettes. May also mentioned that the new brand might venture into producing pop-up shops during the winter holidays.
