Page 20 - AVN Intimate Fall 2017

FEATURE
By ShERRi L. ShAULis
J’Adorn
From tip to toe, these companies decorate the body beautiful
As the fall and winter holidays approach,
people tend to open their wallets a little more
than other times in the year. Shoppers will
be searching for costumes, looking to set
the perfect tables, and hunting for gifts to place under
beautifully trimmed trees.
And while most people might not think of their local
adult boutique as the place to find tinsel or ornaments, it
can be the perfect spot to find a little bauble or decoration
to adorn themselves.
Stocking the shelves with the latest vibrators and
holiday-inspired lingerie is always a smart idea this
time of year, but adult retailers also can easily increase
their units-per-transaction and overall sales by offering
shoppers smaller items perfect for stuffing stockings and
sprucing up love lives.
With Halloween right around the corner, even the most
strait-laced people are willing to let loose and dress up
as someone else. Merkins—which creates what it calls
“Downstairs Toupees”—makes it easy to dress up below
the belt not just during Halloween, but any time of the
year. Merkins started more than 20 years ago as a party
business, and six years ago set up a small factory to create
party mustaches and bears. That quickly morphed into
creating fake hair merkins and other pubic decorations.
“The ancient Egyptians popularized grooming the
nether regions as a beauty standard, and since the 1960s,
the global trend of bikini waxing has tilted the balance
toward a clear landing strip,” said Merkins CEO and
owner Tomas Siuipys. “But in some situations, going
against the grain with a downstairs toupee is what is
needed. We went even further and created not only fake
hair for the private area, but even rhinestone-covered
pubic decorations. They look so adorable that even men
cannot resist buying them as a gift for their lovers.”
I believe that body jewelry also
gives a certain kind of power
when you use it.
—Elsa Viegas, Bijoux Indiscrets
Originally, the company thought the self-adhesive
pieces would only be popular among showgirls and
the like. But Siuipys said a focus group of women from
various professions indicated the audience was actually
much more broad.
“We had set up our stand at Venus adult show in Berlin
and we were selling our merkins to the visitors,” he said.
“We sold many merkins and pubic decorations to young
women, couples, showgirls, of course, kinky sex lovers
and even for elderly people.
“There is only a few companies manufacturing cheap
and ugly merkins that nobody wants to wear,” Siuipys
continued. “We are playing in a totally different league.
Our wide selection of lovely designs and high-quality
standards receive only positive feedbacks. We are selling
merkins via Amazon, Etsy or our web shop every day. So,
I believe in a couple of years we will be the ones who have
20 | INTIMATE | FALL 2017
Jewelry With an Edge The Maze Tassel Choker from Bijoux Indiscrets
started this 21st-century trend, at least in Europe and USA.”
Merkins are still relatively new to the market, but Siuipys said the company is already
receiving interest from men and women; the majority of the company’s shapes can be
used by all sexes.
“No doubt, that rhinestone-decorated crowns and hearts are the bestsellers, also
kittens and butterflies are popular too, as well as the American flag V-shape or the heart
merkin,” Siuipys told AVN. “And the classic V-shape black merkin is a bestseller too. We
have categorized our merkins into a few groups: Romantic (hearts, butterflies, crowns,
etc.), Funny (smiley face, kittens, stars, a Christmas tree, even a penis shape), Patriotic
(flags and the LGBT flag as well.), Realistic (many colors and different shapes) and
Kinky (hairy and bigger-sized merkins). There is plenty to choose from.”
Customers are buying Merkins for a number of reasons—from stage performances
and sun bathing at nudist camps to spicing up sex lives and funny pranks gifts—and
holidays, especially Valentine’s Day and Christmas, are the most popular times for
purchases, Siuipys said. And the mild adhesive ensures the Merkins stay in place during
sex.
“These private area decorations are made of soft, nice-to-touch fake fur,” Siuipys said.
“There are merkins that are decorated with glitter, crystals. A merkin is stuck onto the
body using antiallergic medical 3M plaster. This decoration with a medical plaster can be
stuck on once or twice—there are three extra plasters in the bag.”
The Merkins could easily be paired with pasties, which are also gaining in popularity
these days.
Pastease, a company that got its start in 2002, offers a core group of fabric pasties
in a variety of colors, as well as more fun and unique shapes, many embellished with