Archive for the 'Brands–The Inside Scoop' Category
The Huit Brand is Making a Comeback!
December 13, 2010
The French brand Huit (pronounced "wheat" and French for the number eight) was in the clutches of bankruptcy. But no more! Eveden, the company that brings us Goddess, Freya, Fantasie, and Elomi bought it. Tracy Lewis, Chief Executive of Eveden came from the UK and visited me in our Dallas office just before Thanksgiving. She shared with me Eveden’s plans for the Huit brand.
By way of background, Huit is a very proud French brand and even includes ‘Paris’ on its label. Traditionally, it has been sold in better boutiques across the United States. HerRoom has also been fortunate enough to carry the brand for many years. The essence of the Huit brand is that it is stylish yet effortless, with hip colors. A premium brand, Huit focuses a lot on being fashionable. Therefore, less than 30% of the Huit products were ever basics. Most were fashion and one-time designs. The brand serviced the 32-38, A to D cup customer.
So, why did Eveden buy Huit? Tracy explained that it was an excellent expansion opportunity. Eveden brands have always been for full-figured women, so this was a very exciting chance to buy a well-known name brand that fits the average size woman. And, there are no plans to take Huit into the full-figure market.
What also impressed me was Tracy’s comment that Eveden retained the current Huit designers in France. Eveden really wants to keep and maintain the special qualities the Huit brand has had for years. Huit has also been a swimwear manufacturer, making swimwear with cup sizing. Eveden absolutely intends to continue the swimwear line as well.
The re-launch is planned for this coming February with new photography. And, there are plans to add 30 band sizes and take the cup sizing up to DD. Of special note, Tracy said to pay attention to the Cupcake Collection. The plan is to expand this further. HerRoom already carries this collection, and I’m crazy about how terrific it looks.
Three cheers for keeping a fabulous lingerie brand alive and moving forward.
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| Huit Cupcake Bandeau Strapless Bra | Huit Cupcake Full Cup Balconnet Bra | Huit Cupcake Magic Air Pushup Bra |
Find Huit lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Panties
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Posted by Tomima at 8:45am
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Eco-Friendly Underwear that Looks and Feels Great
October 19, 2010
I must say that I’m really excited about a new line of organic cotton underwear we are now carrying. Called Ecoland, it’s made by a small family-owned and operated company out of California.
Why am I excited? Because my team has been searching for a long time. Organic cotton underwear that is soft and luxurious feeling is very hard to find. We constantly get requests for it and we hate disappointing our customers by not having it. Well, Ecoland has filled this void. What’s more, most of the products are either made in the USA or Taiwan in non-sweatshop factories. The product comes in that beautiful natural cotton color, but some pieces also come in a non-bleached white that is created using a certified organic process involving oxygen. And the hand on everything is fabulous. Everyone should feel good about buying it.
But wait, there’s another reason why I love Ecoland. The underwire in their underwire bra is not metal at all. Instead it’s made out of biodegradable plastic. We at HerRoom frequently receive requests for this feature from women who work in prisons and other jobs where they must go through metal detectors set to high tolerances. They must either suffer the humiliation of a pat-down, or find a wire-free bra. Finally, here is an underwire bra that won’t set them off!
Now, I need to make something very clear about cotton bras. There is no such thing on the market as a 100% cotton bra. There can’t be. Think about this. Your jeans or a 100% cotton t-shirt stretch out at the end of the day. Cotton simply does not maintain its shape. So, a bra made of all cotton could never give adequate support. Ecoland uses organic cotton and 5% spandex in its bras so that you get support. Their bras start at 32A and go up to 36D, with the wireless bra going up to a 38D.
I admit to not being a full-on tree hugger. My environmental footprint is probably way too big and I’m working on it. And I like my pretty lingerie – no matter what it’s made of. However, a tip of the hat to those of you who give a lot of care and thought to the garments you buy. You now have the Ecoland brand to add to your options.
Find Ecoland lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Panties
Hosiery
Follow HerRoom on Twitter for daily tips.
Posted by Tomima at 11:15am
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A 20-Year Old Bra Style That’s Still a Winner – The Chantelle Tamaris
August 21, 2010
A side-effect of being in the bra business is that you tend to know the bra size and favorite style of all your female acquaintances. So, I personally know of two women who don’t know each other, but both happen to share the same bra style, have been wearing it for more than 10 years, and ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!
Are you jealous? I know I am. I have never selected a bra style that’s stayed on the market that long. Their bra is the Chantelle Tamaris Seamless Molded Underwire 1660. And here are the reasons they sing its praises.
First, both women feel they have somewhat sloping shoulders. And the straps on this bra do not fall off their shoulders. Now, there are a number of reasons why straps can fall off shoulders – your upper breasts are shallow and do not fill up the top of the cup, your band size is too big etc. The reason these straps stay on your shoulders is because they are located almost directly above the nipple. This is known in the trade as "center pull" or "cup centered" straps. The cups are also shaped more as a triangle which assists in keeping the straps centered and on your shoulders.
Their next favorite feature is the leotard back. Lately, you’ve probably been seeing commercials on TV about Bali’s new "Comfort-U Design" back. Well, it’s not new. This has been called a leotard back in the industry and has been around for years. The Tamaris has this back which allows the bra back to look more pared down, and again helps keep the straps on your shoulders.
Both women are in the 34-36, B-C size range, so granted they don’t have any real size issues. But the other thing they love is the cup design. Again, this was really one of the first seamless cups to come onto the market. But, what is different is that these cups are not made of a stretchy fabric that can make your breasts look floppy. Rather, the sheer/lacy fabric is non-stretch. This goes a long way in giving you a great uplifted breast shape. And, the unique horizontal lace along the cups helps to eliminate a woman’s "high beams" if you know what I mean.
Finally, a few historical side notes. Chantelle shared with me that this bra has an extremely loyal following (my 2 friends back that up), and it was one of the very first seamless molded bras ever offered. And the lion’s share of sales for this bra are in the USA.
So, here you have a very comfortable bra, with straps that don’t fall off, gives great shape, is pretty, modest, and supportive. No wonder it’s been a favorite for so many years. Its size range, though, is a little limiting – 32B to 38D with a few E cups in range as well.
Find Chantelle lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Panties
Follow HerRoom on Twitter for daily tips.
Posted by Tomima at 8:24am
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