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Industry veteran returns with new brand

Industry veteran returns with new brand

Industry veteran Mike Deekes is returning to the adult market after a gap of ten years with a new brand of leather goods, called Ibiza Erotic. Deekes was marketing director for consumer show Erotica from its inception up to 2005, but for the last seven years he has been based in Ibiza where he has been importing into Spain a variety of clothing products from India.

The Ibiza Erotic range will be launched with 40 items, all made from Nappa leather, at June’s ETO Show. Deekes explained: “My partner James Lodge and I have both been in the product sourcing and quality control business for over 30 years, much of this specifically on clothing . We have both worked with leather before but we conscientiously tested a variety of grades and concluded that we would only be comfortable working with quality Nappa Leather.”

Ibiza Erotic will be run from an office in Milton Keynes and the company will be announcing its distribution strategy after the ETO Show, though it said it is prepared to open discussions with online retailers regarding a dropshipping arrangement.

Deekes added: “The items are our own take on many items that are already available in other materials. We are not re inventing the wheel, we are only adding quality and new design features.  The whole idea of our range is to offer buyers the opportunity to buy the products that are obviously in demand, but in a quality they will feel comfortable wearing. The ETO Show will give the trade the opportunity to consider if they want to widen their range by introducing  additional higher end quality product at competitive prices. Although we hold stock in the UK, if there is a big demand for Christmas sales for delivery to clients in October, then orders will have to be placed by the end of July. With hand stich work, our products are time consuming to produce – all quality products take time – however with careful planning and ordering on time, we can keep our stock well controlled.”

The company says its range will sit in the ‘upper end of the middle’ end of the market and retailers will be able to make a minimum margin of 100%.

When asked if he was not afraid of the market suffering from ‘Fifty Shades Fatigue’ due to the glut of fetish lines that have been introduced over the last two years, Deekes replied: “We believe that Fifty Shades opened the market up to a different demographic audience and that this will continue to grow year on year. Tattoos used to be associated with a certain demographic group. However, when David Beckham publicly displayed and added tattoos year on year, the market opened up and to encompass every level of the community. We see our range fitting into this expanding market , which was given a huge boost by Fifty Shades.”

Ibiza Erotic will be making its debut at the ETO Show next month, where its full range will be showcased. For further information now call James Lodge on either 01908 649994 or 07973 198377.