Page 15 - AVN Intimate Spring 2019

seven years ago with Bodywand,” Green
explains. “Again, really on the periphery of the
adult business—it was a non-phallic looking
item. ... That started going well for us. And then
other brands came to us.”
Xgen got a big boost came when the company
began distributing Baci Lingerie and Envy
Menswear for Frank K., and later the Zolo line
of men’s pleasure toys for Michael K. Xgen also
now handles the Rabbit Company, while still
continuing to distribute Bodywand.
“Frank and Michael are out of brands for
me to take over,” Green jokes. “I don’t want it
to get any more fragmented, not only for our
customers but also our salespeople to manage.”
He has, however, continued to pursue
licensing deals, including one for toys branded
with the Frederick’s of Hollywood name. The
line is “really gaining traction and year and a
half in.” He believes it took a while for retailers
to stop seeing the brand as competition and
understand that their own stores can benefit
from bringing in such a high-profile name.
“Actually, in the last six months it’s one
of our fastest-growing brands,” he says with
pride.
Keeping his collections compact is a priority
for Green. “I’m not going to be the guy with a
telephone-book catalogue with a forty percent
fill rate. I’d rather have six or eight styles and
have a hundred percent fill rate.”
He adds, “There’s so much competition out
there as we all know. There’s no need for me
to go head-to-head with the big boys and have
thousands of products. ... That’s not my M.O.
The idea is keep it boutiquey—we only release
one or two Bodywands every year, we only
release one or two new Rabbits.”
But that doesn’t mean he won’t keep
changing things up. “In the last releases for
Lapdance I’ve got more colors—a purple, a
neon green, a blue. I’m trying to vary the colors.
I think that’s important. …
“Bodystockings have gotten more
adventurous—more interesting geometric
patterns. The equipment that makes these
have evolved … it used to just be fence net and
fishnet, and now it can be cooler shapes and
patterns,” he says.
But the most important trend is to stock plus-
size options. “We make sure almost 100 percent
of every collection we do is available in plus
size. If I feel strongly about a style that’s only
in one size, I’ll do it. But generally I try to keep
everything available in both sizes.”
The Xgen president also feels strongly
about the importance of creating shop-in-shop
displays that give shoppers a comfortable
space to interact with the goods—especially if
they’re sold at a higher price point. The “coolest
display” is for Frederick’s of Hollywood.
In addition to testers, black slatwall and an
inviting carpet, the display comes with festive
shopping bags complete with gold foil and
tissue paper. “Stores really bought into that,” he
says, adding that the Rabbit Company also has
had very successful shop-in-shop displays.
Whether he’s at a trade show or visiting
clients on the road, Green says he keeps his
ears open. “When I’m designing something,
and I want to go out on a limb, I’m getting
somebody’s input. I do not profess to be the
expert on everything. I will show them some
things and get feedback, and also on existing
products when I’m out.”
Sometimes it takes a while to integrate
feedback, though. Green recounts how clients
complained about the LR44 watch batteries
in one of his most popular products, the Mini
Bodywand. Customers told him, “We hate
the little watch batteries.” But to replace them
Display Options The Xgen Products booth at this year’s ANME highlighted ways in which retailers could display such Xgen-distributed lines as Zolo, Frederick’s of Hollywood and Bodywand. Photo by Rick Garcia
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