Kiki De Montparnasse is a New York based retailer that commissions lingerie, jewelry, home, bath, body and beauty products, and a small selection of high end sex toys, including a hand sculpted obsidian glass dildo, and several gold, silver, and titanium vibrators. The opening of the Kiki De Montparnasse store in SoHo signals an important change in high end sex toy retailing in North America. Before they were open, high end sex toys were mostly made in the U.K, and available in the U.S. only at select fashion retailers. Hopefully their existence will encourage more designers to turn their attention to sex toys, and more people to consider the investment in their sexual pleasure.
With a tag line that reads “lust objectified” Sweden-based Lelo has been making powerful and beautiful vibrators since 2003. Their stated aim is to create objects not just functional, but seductive in their own right, by blending fashion, femininity, engineering and design. The result is a line of high end sex toys that are supremely functional and attractive. Using materials including stainless steel, 18K gold, and silicone rubber, Lelo have also made a move to introduce more affordable, but equally beautiful products to the adult retail market.
Mi Su
Inspired by natural, organic forms and made from titanium, obsidian, rose quartz, gold, silver and a range of precious stones, Mi Su fuses jewelry, art object, and sex toy design, making toys that demand to be touched. Their website features a small selection, but they also offer something they call “Mi-Su Couture” where they will custom design toys to your specifications.
UK based retailer Myla may have been the first company to commission high end sex toys from established designers. Started by two friends who, according to their site “decided to work together to create the world's first luxury sex brand for women.” Myla offers lingerie as well as a line of high end sex toys. They began with a vibrator called Bone which was designed by Tom Dixon, but have added other products along the way, which are now available in the U.S. and on line.
UK based, South African born conceptual designer Shiri Zinn was one of the first designers to turn her attention to high end sex toys. From her crystal encrusted vibrators and glass dildos to her luxurious floggers, everything Shiri designs is
beautiful and functional, never compromising one for the other. Her best known creation, the Minx vibrator, has been a staple at the UK erotic boutique
Coco de Mer for several years and was one of the first luxury sex toys to come to the U.S. (brought here by CAKE).
Sex Machines
Because a definitive history and topography has yet to be written for sex toys, it’s hard to know whether sex machines as a type of sex toy belongs in the category of high end sex toys. Some sex machines are decidedly low tech, nothing more than some soda cans, a few gears, and a lot of love. But other sex machines, most notably the
Monkey Rocker, are carefully designed and perfectly executed. If you’re interested in learning more about sex machines, you can do no better than to purchase Timothy Archibald’s brilliant photo-essay collection
Sex Machines .
