1. Can you tell me about your career in the lingerie industry? From La Perla to Bendon and of course Coco de Mer your experience is impressive.

I have over 18 years experience in the lingerie and luxury retail world managing the brand strategy, creative design, merchandising and development of a multitude of luxury and commercial brands. Prior to the MBO which I completed in 2017, I was Coco de Mers Managing Director for three years. Before joining Coco de Mer in 2014, I held director positions at brands including La Perla, Bendon and Victorias Secret in addition to developing and launching David Beckhams Bodywear line.

2. Tell me about your vision for Coco de Mer and its development from humblebeginnings.

I am so passionate about Coco de Mer. The brand has always punched above its weight, but I still believe it is yet to realise its full potential. It has been considered a niche brand in the past but it has the potential to be so much more a true, global luxury brand. This is why I decided to complete an MBO two years ago. After three years at the helm and an entire career in the lingerie industry, I knew that Coco de Mer was the brand I wanted to own and grow.

Luxury is taking on a new definition today. It is no longer just about owning a designer product instead it is about individual, exceptional experiences, and an emotional connection. Theseexperiences need to be authentic, unique and immersive. At Coco de Mer, we dont just offerproducts. We offer experiences and education in order for men and women to makediscoveries, explore their desires and embrace the complexity of pleasure in an environmentthat is welcoming, empowering and indulgent.

A strong, passionate team; exciting collaborations and an equal dedication to creativity andcommerciality have helped us to develop the business. I am so looking forward to the future.

We have always been a very British brand, and that heritage is important to us. However, so isspreading the message of female pleasure and female empowerment to more people. Ourstrategy is to grow the business internationally at the luxury end of the market where Coco deMer is already well positioned and has a very strong customer base.

I also look forward to continuing to collaborate with new partners in the worlds of art, design,and fashion, and to telling great stories and creating breathtaking experiences.

3. How do you feel the image of adult stores has changed in the last decade? Coco deMer with its luxury vision and global celebrity following, is definitely a catalyst in thisMovement.

Attitudes have really opened up regarding sex and pleasure in the past 10 years. There is muchmore of a physical presence of adult stores as, positively, people are gradually starting to talkmuch more openly about sex. Having said this, online continues to thrive as there will always bea market for anonymity. As this physical presence of stores increases, the range of productsand accessories does too. This comes as people are discovering new ways of expressingthemselves sexually.

The industry has definitely evolved into a much more fashion focused area. Lots of smaller, newbrands have launched and since the launch of the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise, there hasdefinitely been a greater interest in the more erotic side of the market from new, moremainstream customers.

We have seen luxury shoppers want to dip their toe in the water of this world and at Coco deMer we have ensured that our boutique is a safe, special, luxurious and empowering place toshop.

4. Coco de Mer has evolved into becoming one of Britains leading purveyors of erotica;do you feel this growth has been elevated by the societal sway towards femaleempowerment and sexuality?

I believe in the empowerment of women, and the healthy self-confidence that comes withpleasure seeking and a more progressive viewpoint. The lingerie industry has evolved from afunctional service to a fun, fashionable expression for women. Owning and growing Coco deMer allows me to influence and support dreams, sensuality, and satisfaction.

Over time, we have secured a place in the luxury erotica market and have become an industryname that people trust and aspire to engage with. One of our selling points is that we talkopenly and frankly about sex. This is a rarity in todays social environment, but an aspect ofCoco de Mer that I feel is vital to the progression of sexual education and exploration. Thesupport that we offer allows consumers to explore the full potential of each product they investin, and to gain confidence in doing so. Female empowerment is a key factor in this, as itprovides women with the confidence to explore their sexuality.

We happily spend a lot of our time thinking about and serving a woman who is comfortable in her body and life and confident with her sexuality and desires. This includes lingerie and self-pleasure focused toys and products; and almost always including experiential Salons and other products or ways to explore her dreams and fantasies. The reality is that women remain interested in sex and pleasure throughout their lives and therefore we ensure we offer plenty of ways for her to live out her desires.

The empowerment of women is our primary focus at Coco de Mer. This has to include a braveand self-care focused approach to sensuality at every age.

5. What would the ratio of your customers be (female to male)? And, do you find thatonline shopping is a key selling point for your customers who may not becomfortable shopping in-store?

Our customer base is equally split between men and women and the age range could beanything from 18-80!

All of our customers appreciate luxury and beauty.

Different customers come to us for different reasons. We have connoisseurs of this world whocome to us because they respect our knowledge and assistance.

We have luxury shoppers who want perhaps to dip their toe in a more erotic world and feelcomfortable shopping with us because of the luxurious and welcoming environment.

We also have lingerie lovers who come to us purely for our curated edit of luxurious and speciallingerie and nightwear.

We actually find that customers like to come into our boutique for the personal attention andimmersive experience rather than purely shopping online.

6. At the minute, retail is in a state of juxtaposition: on the one hand people are investing in local brands and taking care as to what businesses they buy into; on the other hand, fast-fashion and discount retailers are in abundance. Do you feel this conflicting narrative has an impact on business?

Luxury is taking on a new definition today. It is no longer about owning a designer item insteadit is about individual, exceptional experiences, and an emotional connection. These experiencesneed to be authentic, unique and immersive. At Coco de Mer, we dont just offer products. Weoffer experiences and education in order for men and women to make discoveries, explore theirdesires and embrace the complexity of pleasure in an environment that is welcoming,empowering and indulgent.

As the retail sector evolves, and consumers become more conscious, I am keen to address thequestion of whether purpose drives profit. The Coco de Mer brand has always stood for the

empowerment of women and the importance of female pleasure and I want to take that to thenext level. This is why Ive joined the fight against FGM; Im speaking to Government about theimprovement of sex education in schools; and hoping to highlight the power of pleasure andbring home the fact that a gender equal world is happier, richer more productive and morepeaceful. I do believe that purpose can indeed drive profit.

7. Coco de Mer is a brand which uses its platform to inspire change and fight for socialcauses, such as seeing the end of FGM; why is this cause so close to the brand?

As part of our work at Coco de Mer, we are leading new efforts in erotic education and thegrowing importance of female pleasure and empowerment in todays world. Our collaborationwith Waris Dirie and The Desert Flower Foundation was an important part of that education. Thecore of the Coco de Mer brand has always revolved around female empowerment and theimportance of female pleasure and FGM is a direct disabler of this. We wanted thiscollaboration to bring awareness and help eradicate such a cruel and inhumane practice. Ivisited the Women Deliver conference in Vancouver, and I am now even more motivated tocontinue my work on gender equity and helping to empower women in developing countries, aswell as closer to home. There is no other single change that can do more to improve the state ofthe world, than empowering women. And sometimes all that is needed to lift women up, is tostop pulling them down. We are continuing to work with activists and NGOs such as Nimco Aliand SafeHands to raise awareness of FGM and continue to fight for its eradication.

8. Coco de Mer has also seen many collaborations with noted celebrities, activists and artists ranging from Pamela Anderson to Rankin. Recently, the brand collaborated for the second with Playboy; what instigated this alliance with a brand that has often been deemed anti-feminist?

At Coco de Mer, collaborations are a core pillar of our strategy. We are developing partnershipsthat are greater than the sum of their parts, as a strong driver of creative evolution, businessgrowth, and industry innovation. We have partnered with different individuals and brands overthe last few years to excite and delight our customers.

Coco de Mer is a very female focused brand. Our entire ethos is based around female pleasureand female empowerment and we only work with partners who we believe shared our passionsand vision.

Playboy has always stood for personal freedom from civil liberties to self-expression tosexual freedom for all people. And although the world has changed a lot since Playboy cameon the scene in 1953, many of these freedoms are as threatened by todays politicalenvironment as they were when the journey began.

Playboy is iconic and the brand conjures up ideas of glamour, fun and freedom. Hugh Hefnersquote: Life is too short to be living someone elses dream is so appropriate to women today.

It has been an exciting adventure to collaborate with the iconic Playboy brand. We havedeveloped such playful and feminine collections together which perfectly encompass theempowering images and silhouettes from Playboys golden age with Coco de Mers signatureerotic styles.

9. How do you view the trend toward online shopping and the changing role of thephysical shops?

Though technology plays such an important role in the lives of todays consumer, I stronglybelieve that touch and interpersonal interaction is central to a happy life. We focus on ouroffering of live experiences (salons, events, etc.) as a way to gather our customers and providethem with forums for conversation and connection, to us and to each other.

Even though the retail world is developing and progressing further online, for our business thephysical boutique is paramount and I believe that physical stores, particularly in the luxurysector, will continue to be important. Our customers love the personal service, the opportunity totouch and feel the products and the immersive experience.

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Luxury is about experiences and emotional connections, says CEO at lingerie brand, Coco de Mer, in exclusive Retail Times Q&A - Retail Times