“Quality and innovation are our core values.”

What should be the main priority for sex toy producers and designers? There are just as many answers to this question as there are products on the market. Pricing, performance, design – the list goes on. Up-and-coming company le stelle has decided to put the user experience at the centre of their work. And how is this reflected in their products? Chief Strategy Officer Alvin Huang tells us in our EAN interview.

Le Stelle is a company whose “designers strive to improve the user experience by learning to ask the questions that matter”. Which questions are those?
Alvin Huang: We want everything we do to be about the user experience. Even the smallest details – like the placement of a logo or diagram on our packaging – are done with the consumer in mind. So for us, the critical questions are: What features are our customers looking for, what are their favourite colours, do they prefer one-button or multiple buttons, what technologies are considered indispensable? The challenge here is that these questions, and their answers, are constantly evolving – and so must our products.

Could you tell us a bit more about the team behind le Stelle and the history of the company?
Le stelle was founded in late 2017 by two industry veterans who had extensive prior experience in the ecommerce space. After a successful stint as resellers, our founders realised that they had a unique perspective on what made products successful and embarked to bring their own creations to market. Since then, le stelle has grown to include individuals from all backgrounds, including former agency creative leads, SaaS executives, logistics professionals, and others.
Currently le stelle is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. We design, manufacture, warehouse, and market all products in-house. Quality and innovation are our core values, and we strive to make each piece worthy of the individual who ultimately holds it in their hands. That’s why each unit is thoroughly checked to ensure that it meets the highest standards of quality – and is backed by our warranty guarantees.

So far, le Stelle has released four different products: Hidra, Perks, Iconic, and Avara. Is there a guiding principle that can be found in all your items?
Yes – absolutely! Simply put, our guiding principle is to design products that are beautiful and thoughtful (from a technology standpoint). All of our products utilise body-safe, silky smooth silicone, and are outfitted with technology that makes sense for the specific product. For example, AVARA, our medium wand massager, is highlighted for its versatility and travel-friendly design. So aside from having a sleek contour with vibrant colors and a matte finish, it’s also equipped with an ultra-powerful copper motor and made with extremely lightweight materials. On top of that, it’s got shock absorbent handling for a more comfortable user experience.

Hidra looks like a well-designed wand massager. Which aspects make this massager stand out from the competition?
HIDRA is our flagship product – it’s very much the culmination of great product design, from both an aesthetic and functions point of view. Overall, I think that it’s a high-quality wand massager at a very competitive price point.
Across the board, the most consistent praise offered for the HIDRA is that it is unbelievably powerful compared to other wands on the market. But it’s a controlled kind of power – very evenly distributed across the wand so that the user doesn’t have to struggle to handle it. Moreover, it’s a dual motor wand (a motor at each end) with a heated tip function.
Finally, the design of the wand is incredibly beautiful. Sleek and stylish, with a subtle pearlised matte finish to top it off. It’s definitely my personal favourite of all our products.

How does Hidra differ from the second wand massager you’re offering, Avara?
The HIDRA is a full-sized wand massager, whereas AVARA is its “lite” counterpart. The AVARA is smaller in size, and extremely lightweight, making it an easy travel companion. But despite its petite form, the AVARA delivers surprising power with a flexible ergonomic head that can rotate freely for a targeted experience.

With Perks, you introduced a very versatile vibrator series. What makes this series so flexible and adaptable?
With PERKS we wanted to introduce a series that could cater to the many fantasies and desires of our consumers. We know that everyone has an alter ego – and so it’s only natural that our toys be as sophisticated as our changing needs.
For this series, we created 5 unique pairings. Each set is equipped with two easily interchangeable attachments that are complementary in function – combining to form the ultimate pleasure experience.
In essence, each PERKS set is really two toys in one, offering the user freedom of choice and flexibility.

Iconic is the name of a small series with two different vibrators. What is your target audience for these products and what makes them special?
The Iconic series is quickly growing to include more full-sized products, but it’s currently focused on our travel friendly, small vibrators. The target market for these is similar to that of the rest of our products: consumers interested in a quality, luxury product. But because of its size and versatility, it also serves as a great entry item for those new to le stelle, and hopefully as a means for us to introduce our quality design to more consumers.
Aside from being entirely splash-proof and rechargeable (USB magnetic charging with cables), all product within the Iconic line are also denoted with a star-shaped LED button. The button functions as the centrepiece of le stelle’s One-Touch control system (no more confusing buttons!) and is shaped like a star as an homage to our namesake.

What can you tell us about the price point of all your products?
Though le stelle is a luxury brand, the price point on our products is very competitive, especially when taking into consideration our quality, innovation, and after-sales support.

Who can retailers turn to if they want to offer your sex toys in their shops?
Currently, we work with national distributors in the U.S. market. For any specific inquiries, please feel free to visit our website at www.le-stelle.com and connect with us via the Contact Us page!

Are you currently working with distributors in Europe?
Not at the moment, but we are definitely open to partnerships with European distributors, and are actively seeking out new opportunities. For any inquiries on potential collaborations, please visit www.le-stelle.com/contact and send us a message via the contact form!

What will be the next steps for le Stelle?
We have an exciting 2019 product roadmap that we are actively working to produce. This year we will be looking to push out several exciting new lines that are not in our current offering. We will also be focusing heavily on increasing our presence in the international market, with a strong emphasis in Europe.