Rosin Murphy and Rea Deacon

“Our style is understated but the products certainly deliver.”

Being stylish without being expensive. Being effective without being distracting. Being modern without being too playful. The makers of the Perlesque brand can tick off all these boxes. We wanted to know more about their first sex toy collection and the inspiration for their grey vibrators. Perlesque co-founder Rea Deacon (right in picture) took the time to answer our questions.


 

Perlesque is a relatively new company in the adult market. What compelled you to start this company? How would you describe your journey in the adult market so far?
Rea Deacon: The decision to found Perlesque comes from personal shopping experiences. When I turned to the industry for some help in a relationship, I found that there were very few retailers that fit my shopping expectations without breaking my budget. Looking into this further, we found that there really wasn’t very much out there for the discerning customer who perhaps didn’t want to spend over £100 on a product. I also felt that the market was very male-dominated and focused upon solo pleasure as opposed to helping couples achieve satisfaction together.

Can you tell us a bit about the team behind Perlesque? What did you do before your ventured into the world of sex toys?
Perlesque was created by myself and my sister in law [left in picture, editor’s note]. We both felt strongly that there was a gap for what we wanted to offer and felt that we could be the change that we thought was needed. We both have retail experience, having both spent time working for Marks and Spencer head office before we had our children. We both stayed home to look after our children whilst they were small and then the idea for Perlesque came at a time that I was looking to get back into the work place.

Perlesque's Ara, Eris, and Rhea
Like the rest of the collection, Ara, Eris, and Rhea all come in neutral grey

Could you tell us a bit about the philosophy of the Perlesque brand?
Our focus at Perlesque is the customer. We wanted to create a brand that took it back to basics with the products, focusing on satisfaction without confusing gimmicks. Our focus is products that make you feel great as well as looking organic in your bedroom, fitting seamlessly into your lifestyle. We created our products in muted greys so that in the bedroom the toys wouldn’t feel intrusive we also created our line with the couple in mind, meaning that the majority of our toys are unintimidating and purposeful. We wanted the shopping experience to feel familiar to our customer, similar to other areas of their shopping lives. Hopefully this shows on our website and the packaging.

You are currently offering nine different products. Could you give us a short overview of your range?
We specifically chose these nine products as we felt we offered something for everyone and had all areas covered.

  • Eirene – this is our large bullet vibrator, beautifully shaped which can be used internally and externally. Retails at £30 and has three settings.
  • Rhea – is our small bullet – perfect for the beginner with gentle vibes going through five settings, retailing at £25.
    Eris – our rabbit ears, this product packs a huge punch with incredibly strong vibrations, fully rechargeable with seven settings, retails at £45.
  • Artemis – our large vibrator – straight in shape with powerful vibrations, three settings retailing at £40.
  • Lyra – the smaller vibrator – designed with beginners in mind, vibrations buildable over three settings and retails for £30.
  • Ara – our G – Spot vibrator – designed for internal stimulation specifically designed to target the G – Spot, settings an incredible powerful vibrations buildable over seven settings, retails for £55.
  • Hera – our cock ring with a touch sensor bullet vibrator, very power vibes that only start when in contact with skin, designed to tease and tantalize, retails at £25.
  • Selene – our palm massager, discreet in design and a great place for a new user, gentle vibes that are buildable over six settings, retails at £35.
  • Clio – our kegel balls – double weight balls made from silicone, perfect for pelvic floor training or indeed to set the mood, retails at £20.

Which product is your best seller?
Eris has been our best seller with Eirene being a close second.

What do Perlesque toys offer that other brands don’t have?
I feel that as a brand we have created an environment that is familiar to customers, other brands accentuate the fact that the products they sell are sex toys – which works but I feel we appeal to a different demographic. We also maintain that we are focused on couple play as opposed to undoing anyone’s role in the bedroom.

The entire Perlesque collection
The entire Perlesque collection

All your products are kept in an elegant grey. Is this part of your design principles? How do you approach the design of sex toys in general?
The design of the sex toys started with the colour, one thing we were sure of was that we did not want bright colours, we felt that this was integral to our brand. We wanted to create something that felt organic in the bedroom. We conducted focus groups and the findings were that most people had grey, beige or white bed linen and felt that the bight coloured toys did not add to the mood.

How important is the creation of a strong brand for adult products? How did you approach this matter with Perlesque?
Branding is important in any market, to know who you are, who your customer is and what you are trying to achieve will ultimately shine through into your products. As a new brand it is hard to create something from nothing, but we wanted to make something that would feel seamless and familiar. My goal was to create something that if it was on your screen at work people might not even notice what you were looking at. Our style is understated but the products certainly deliver.

Another important aspect is packaging and presentation. What can you tell us about the design of your packaging?
The design of the packaging was long for us. The toys were easy as I knew exactly what I wanted to offer. We had several ideas and went back and forth until we found something truly unique, which are our boxes. We felt that we wanted the products to feel as though you were receiving a gift, regardless of whether you bought it for yourself or for a someone else. We also wanted to appeal to the male customer and we have been well received by them as they make up over half of our customers at present.

Artemis and Lyra
Artemis and Lyra

Do you have any tips and tricks for shop owners? How should your products be presented in a retail environment in order to create the biggest impact?
We like to display our products individually and like little pieces of art, in a retail space I would suggest using the packaging to help with the display. Also allowing the custoers to touch and feel the product is important.

Do you work with distributors in Europe? Where should interested retailers turn to if they want to offer your products in their shops?
At the moment we have no European distributors. Interested retailers can contact me directly at rea@perlesque.com.

What’s the next step for Perlesque? Do you already have some new products in the making?
We have lots in the pipeline, the immediate steps are taking our range across to the States. We are also working on some potential collaborations as well as phase two of products for next year. We are very passionate about delivering an accessible range that feels luxurious whilst being entirely effective.