It’s like taking a page out of a sexy fantasy.
Top European photographers shooting drop-dead gorgeous models amidst the stone walls of ancient castles. Everywhere you look there’s a sultry model draped in sensuous and revealing lingerie, lying suggestively on velvet sofas and beds, beckoning their lovers to join them in the heat of passion. Sound like a dream come true? It’s close. And it could be in your own bedroom.
Baci Lingerie has made a name for itself as being the next big intimate apparel company that offers chic, upscale and ever-so-sexy lingerie at affordable prices. The company offers a unique combination of sensuality and class that not only sells quality intimate wear, but wraps it in a package of delicious decadence. And the company prides itself on creating marketing and product photography that rivals anything its competitors can dish out. In its Black Label Collection premiere, Baci debuted over 1,000 photos and 550 videos alone, and a hardcover book with a total price tag of over $5 million.
Although it may not be the company’s official strategy, all indications are that Baci has Victoria’s Secret in its crosshairs, by offering ultra-hot lingerie at very affordable prices (some 90 percent less than other high-end luxury brands). And its marketing campaign features some of the most gorgeous lingerie models in the world. Are the sexy babes paying off? Of course. Baci reports that men are buying lingerie from their “mono brand” stores in record numbers. Where only 3-4 percent of men would shop at a lingerie store, Baci’s seeing 35-40 percent male customers.
Baci Lingerie has created a fantasy world around the brand which has translated into men being more comfortable to enter a lingerie store and buy products. Baci Lingerie Chief Operating Officer, Robert Rosen says, “We are tremendously surprised with the amount of men that are entering the store and buying products. I believe that typical lingerie stores are very intimidating and confusing for men to enter and buy products. With our concept of beautifully designed packaging, men are responding to the ease and convenience of the world Baci Lingerie is creating.” And the stunning Baci bods have helped the company launch its brand and collection globally from Paris to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Last year, Baci invested $300 million in the development of the “mono brand store concept”, where they assist partners in opening luxurious stores quickly and keeping them stocked with at least 50 new products each month. Over 3,000 stores are planned to be opened in the next six years. Mono brand stores were recently opened in Budapest, Hungary, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, and a partnership deal with X-Rated, Aps. in Scandinavia (Baci Lingerie Scandinavia). Next on tap are the U.K., Holland, Germany, Mexico and Lithuania.
Baci reported that the grand opening in Budapest featured large crowds of shoppers who have been waiting for months in anticipation of the hottest brand coming to Hungary. “Baci Lingerie concept of affordable luxury is exactly what the consumer wants in Hungary,” says Tamás Takacs, Baci Lingerie exclusive distributor and brand owner for Hungary. People have really been anxiously waiting for Baci Lingerie store and the people are really excited that we opened.” Takacs plans to open three additional stores within the next three months and plans to open 60 stores in the next six years.
Aside from its hotter-than-hell marketing materials, Baci says its sales success has been beyond expectations, attributing a good deal to the strategy of sexy and provocative lingerie at an affordable price. The price range of all products is what is drawing huge attention from consumers as they are flocking to the stores. Every second customer — 50 percent — are buying products. Typically this number is around 9 percent in the lingerie industry.
Another key aspect is the company’s simple, yet effective, boxed lingerie packaging that gives their products an air of sophistication along with that certain sexiness that has women (and men) bypassing the old hanger garments in favor of Baci’s candy-box-like goodies. At the ILS show in Miami last April, where it was the show’s main sponsor, the company, marked its one-year anniversary of its Black label launch. And this year, the company’s juggernaut continues.
The agreement in the UAE guarantees the opening of a minimum of 10 Baci Lingerie mono brand stores in partnership with United Fashion House, the first of which will open in Abu Dhabi’s premiere mall in mid-September. Plans also include opening mono brand stores in other major locations throughout the UAE, including The Dubai Mall, billed as the world’s largest mall. Baci said it chose to partner with United Fashion House, as they have extensive retail experience and have been a market leader bringing in other successful lingerie brands into the territory. “Their knowledge and experience of the market in UAE is extremely impressive and are a perfect partner to introduce Baci Lingerie,” Rosen says.
And the erotic dream continues, as Baci racks up successes in shows, including the Venus Fair erotic trade show, Asia Adult ExpoAdult, the Salon de la Lingerie show that took place in Paris earlier this year, and the International Lingerie Show (ILS) here in Vegas last March, where it launched its appropriately named “Dream” costume line. The lingerie costumes include150 styles and are designed to create a world of fantasy and desire — a task befitting a company whose models could make anyone’s erotic dream come true. SLV
Issue 63 featuring: Cassidey, Renee Perez & Monique Alexander |
