I recently had the pleasure of talking with Ethan Imboden, the founder and driving force behind Jimmyjane. 
Thanks for taking the time to chat with me Ethan. I understand that your executive team is a diverse group of professionals from the worlds of design, art, beauty and fashion. The streamlined aesthetic and innovative functioning of your toys makes the contribution of these forward thinking minds no surprise to me. Can you tell me how the idea to form Jimmyjane came about?
After several years as a product designer with large design firms, I decided to launch my own creative agency. While working on our first few projects, I was approached to look into creating a vibrator. After more typical projects, designing anything from toothbrushes to cell phones, staplers to furniture, I was intrigued by the idea and decided to look into it further.
Friends soon discovered that I was researching sexuality and I suddenly became a sounding board for friends, peers, and anyone else who happened to overhear the conversation. It seemed that everyone had a unique opinion, and everyone wanted to express it. It was immediately evident that this was a subject of universal interest – and enormous complexity.
It was stunning to me that products related to sexuality – an incredibly important and vivid aspect of our lives – had received so little design attention. Clearly, products in this category were not being held to the basic standards of quality, safety, durability, attention to detail and aesthetics that were fundamental to my work in other arenas. So I started sketching. The more I researched, and the deeper I got into the design process, the more it became evident that there was an immense need for a new approach to sexual accessories – and to making our every day a bit sexier.
Out of this idea, Jimmyjane was born.
It’s obvious that a great deal of thought is invested in the design and engineering of your products. Can you explain the design process and the gestation time from drawing board to incredible toy?
In some respects, the design process is very similar to the process I employed in creating eyewear for Nike - or for cell phones, footwear, etc. The fundamentals of research, ideation, refinement, engineering and production are all there. Though, of course, there is a different sensitivity and nuance required at every stage when designing for sexuality.
As a result of how it was founded, our company is built around its own internal design studio. We operate very differently from most brands, as all of our development is completed in-house. We’re able to innovate from the ground up, as is evident from our introduction of spa-quality massage candles, the invention of the only vibrator in the world with a replaceable motor (LITTLE SOMETHING and LITTLE CHROMA), and one of the only vibrators available that is both rechargeable and truly waterproof (FORM 6).
The gestation period for products is long – generally 2-3 years – as each new line involves deep innovation. As a design team, we don’t measure our success by the number of products we launch, but by the quality of the experience that each product offers.
By offering a luxury brand, do you feel that you are inspiring people to try an adult toy who may otherwise shun the idea?
Though we’re often referred to as such, we don’t consider Jimmyjane to be a “luxury” brand. We are a design-centric brand, so each product balances user experience, functionality and aesthetics. These qualities aren’t luxuries, they’re necessities.
Many of the designs in our Premier Collection feature luxurious materials such as 24K gold, platinum, silk, suede and diamonds. To our delight, these products have welcomed a new audience to sexual accessories. They’ve been featured in Vogue, Elle, GQ, Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar and countless other top media outlets around the world, and have helped to fundamentally shift preconceived notions of how sexual accessories can fit into our lives. When we launched LITTLE GOLD, a 24K gold vibrator was unheard of – and for the first time, a lot of people listened.
Our iconic LITTLE SOMETHING Precious Metal Vibrators are a great example of how we think. We believe in honest design – if it looks like metal, it is metal. If it looks like a diamond, it is a diamond. LITTLE SOMETHING vibrators are machined from solid steel. We use 24K gold and platinum plating not simply because they’re beautiful materials, but because they are completely body safe. Inside, LITTLE SOMETHING features our patented replaceable motor system, so it is both an object of desire, and a lasting token of affection. It wouldn’t make sense to make a gold vibrator that didn’t have a replaceable motor – if it’s going to be precious, it’s got to last.
Even while the country is mired in recession, sales of high end adult toys are showing rapid growth. What do you attribute this to?
People are returning to the basics – I wrote about this phenomenon in a recent piece for the Huffington Post.
When we’re under pressure, we’re careful to focus our resources on the aspects of our lives that are most meaningful to us, and our emotional and physical relationships with our significant others – and ourselves – are a priority. We also seek healthy escapes that offer relief from day-to-day concerns, helping us to maintain perspective. Quality sexual accessories can play a positive role in all of these processes. Jimmyjane’s products are in high demand because they not only provide pleasure, but also strengthen connection and create provocative possibility for our customers.
Contrary to what many assume, sexual products are not simply for solo use. Often – perhaps even predominantly – they are enjoyed by couples. Some of our products, such as LITTLE SOMETHING and FORM 6, incorporate couples-friendly features more subtly in their design. Others, such as the ICONIC RING, are clearly focused on this use. We have also seen tremendous growth in our line of massage candles and massage stones; products which help many to slow down, reconnect and enjoy their time together.
Jimmyjane has received a lot of love from mainstream media publications. Does their acceptance of bedroom toys surprise you? Why do you think Jimmyjane has won their attention?
Since founding Jimmyjane in 2003, we’ve dedicated ourselves to completely reimagining the sexual wellbeing category, making it approachable to all who’d like to “Live Sexy”. We’re fortunate to have benefitted tremendously from the support of the mainstream media. Much of what we’re doing hadn’t been attempted before, and I think it was the uniqueness of our approach that first captured their imagination.
As a team, we come from the worlds of design, fashion, beauty and art, so we share a common perspective with many of the publications that cover our work. When we’ve won their attention, it’s by offering a clear, honest, approachable view of sexuality that is as sophisticated as their publications and is deeply relevant to their audiences.
The world’s growing ecological consciousness has reached the bedroom, with attention on the toxins in some of the materials used for sex toys and other sensual products. These are also red flags regarding user health. By the materials and power method chosen for the Jimmyjane line, it’s clear you share this awareness… can you elaborate on how it influenced your design?
Creating safe products, manufacturing responsibly, and promoting environmentally sound business practices were fundamental design criteria for me long before Jimmyjane. Upholding these standards in the Sexual Wellbeing category – where products are in such intimate contact with our bodies – is even more important. Those who understand this need to lead by example. It is Jimmyjane’s hope that by emphasizing our own safe, durable, environmentally-sound products, we will help to accelerate the industry’s evolution towards an offering that is better for our customers and better for our planet.
Consumer demand appears to be fueling the recent offerings of higher quality toys. Do you believe this is a sign of the acceptance of sex toys by mainstream society?
Though sex accessories have been steadily gaining momentum with mainstream customers for decades, there have certainly been major strides made in the past few years. A recent study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that in the US, 52% of women and 47% of men between 18 and 60 have used a vibrator. This seems to indicate that sexual accessories are relevant to (and being embraced by) a significant portion of the population.
We’ve even seen media icons such as Oprah and Barbara Walters discussing vibrators, and articles on the industry everywhere from the New York Times to Forbes.
This increased awareness is helpful, and is leading to greater acceptance. But as you mentioned earlier, there are a tremendous number of products in circulation that may have negative health implications. My hope is that the next step will be to move beyond acceptance to education. Customers are beginning to demand effectiveness, quality, durability and safety, and that’s a very healthy development.
How do you see the sex toy business evolving over the next few years?
We will continue to see strong innovation in the Sexual Well being category, and additional mainstream retailers and manufacturers entering the arena. Customers will continue to graduate from novelty items to well made products that truly deliver on their promise – accelerating the healthy shift in the industry toward responsible product development and business practices.
Can you indulge us with a little taste of what’s in the works at Jimmyjane? Any new delights to look forward to?
I can’t say much, but you can rest assured that we’ll continue to surprise and delight in true Jimmyjane style. We’re driven by innovation, and you’ll continue to see new products that underscore the depth of our capabilities. We’ve only just begun.
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2009-06-10 19:22
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