US trade publication StorErotica held its annual awards night on Monday July 17th during the ANME trade show in Burbank, California. The awards were hosted by Sunny Rogers, sexual health educator and brand manager for the Diamond Products family, and StorErotica PR manager Kristofer Kay commented: “The 11th annual StorErotica Awards will go down as one of our most memorable events. With more awards, more guests, and more esteem shown, to recognise the pleasure product industry is always a thrill. However, this evening was different than year’s prior simply because along with the celebration came the remembrance of a true legend, Larry Garland.”
During the ceremony, Mr Garland—who passed away suddenly last January—was honoured by his wife Wanda (now CEO of Eldorado Trading Company) and his son, Preston, in a brief memorial on stage.
The winners were: Pleasure Products Company of the Year – Doc Johnson; Distributor of the Year – Entrenue; New Product of the Year – Mimic by Clandestine Devices; Fetish Company of the Year – Kink by Doc Johnson; Boutique Brand of the Year – We-Vibe; Sexual Enhancement Company of the Year – Pjur USA; Retail Chain of the Year – Adam and Eve; Lubricant Company of the Year – System Jo; Marketing Campaign of the Year – Elevate U by Eldorado; Male Pleasure Product of the Year – Fleshlight Launch Powered by Kiiroo; Foreign Manufacturer of the Year – Lovehoney; Body Care Product/Line of the Year – Hemp Seed by Earthly Body; LGBT Company of the Year – XR Brands for Tom of Finland; Brand Ambassador of the Year – Alicia Sinclair, B-Vibe; Luxury Line of the Year – Ascend by Jimmyjane; Adult Game/Gag Gift Manufacturer of the Year – Pipedream Products; BDSM Product of the Year – Scandal by CalExotics; International New Product of the Year – Partner by Satisfyer; Retailer Favorite of the Year – Womanizer; and Independent Retailer of the Year – The Pleasure Chest, Chicago/LA/NYC.
Speaking about Jimmyjane’s award for Luxury Line of the Year, CEO of Diamond Products – which includes Jimmyjane, Sir Richard’s and Pipedream Products – Nick Orlandino said: “We are working on reinventing Jimmyjane. Our creative department has always had the capabilities and now we have an outlet to produce luxury products that deliver an experience consumers are looking for.”
Kristian Broms, VP of product development at Diamond Products, added: “We are really excited about this product and to reintroduce Jimmyjane. The Ascend 1 is a real feat of design, compact, sleek, yet super powerful. We just introduced nine new products at the show and they demonstrate Jimmyjane’s commitment to design and the premium space, yet in a new way that customers will love.”
Doc Johnson’s Chad Braverman said after winning the two awards, for Pleasure Products Company of the Year and Fetish Company of the Year for Kink: “What a fantastic event! I’d like to thank the entire Doc Johnson team for their tireless efforts and their determination, StorErotica for the esteemed recognition, and all of our friends who came to chat with us during the show. Being recognized for our growth is very rewarding and I personally thank our valued clients, staff and business partners who have all been instrumental to our success.”
Susan Colvin, founder, and CEO of CalExotics said of her company’s award for BDSM Product of the Year: “Thank you to StorErotica, our customers, and industry partners. Scandal is our number one fetish collection, and we are so excited to add this award to our long list of achievements for Scandal.”
Lovehoney’s international sales manager Kate Hodgson-Egan commented on the Foreign Manufacturer of the Year award: “We are delighted to have won this award. We would like to thank everyone who voted for us and for the continued support across the industry. We couldn’t have done it without you. It’s been an amazing ANME and it has been fantastic catching up with our contacts from all over the world. Storerotica are one of the most forward-thinking voices in the industry and we are delighted to have been at the show.”
Jules Jordan of Clandestine Devices, which won New Product of the Year for Mimic, said: “A big Thank You to StorErotica and the voters for recognizing the Mimic’s incredible attributes. We were nominated alongside some truly inventive products this year, so we feel especially honoured to earn this win.”
In addition to the 20 trade awards, StorErotica also gave out its first Consumer Choice Award, which was presented on behalf of StorErotica’s consumer publication partner, blogger site kinkly.com, and its co-founder Nicole Jansen. This award was won by Vibratex’s Cordless Hitachi Magic Wand.
StorErotica’s Kristofer Kay concluded: “We congratulate all of this year’s winners once more, and thank all the people who continue to make the adult retail industry better year after year.”
