ATLANTA - Liberator Bedroom Adventure Gear , a line of fabric-covered foam shapes that provide the right angle and support for scintillating sex, celebrates success, including a major film feature.
Face it. Most furniture is not designed with sex in mind. Granted, old-fashioned missionary sex can be done almost anywhere, but doggie-style? Anyone who has tried the latter on a waterbed knows that conventional furniture can sometimes be more foe than friend.
Thankfully, Liberator fills this gap. Made by OneUp Innovations of Atlanta, Liberator Bedroom Adventure Gear is a line that features shapes including the Wedge, Ramp, rectangular Stage, flat-topped rockable Scoop, bolster-shaped Whirl, the aptly named Cube, and the bed-sized Escape foam pad. All are available in Original or Black Label versions; the Black Label line being fitted with restraints to heighten the enjoyment. Coverings are available in microfiber, pleather, microsuede, and wet vinyl, among others. And yes, all Liberator coverings are washable. The company also makes a number of giant support pillows under its Studio OneUp brand.
OneUp Innovations was started by two couples "who knew, from personal experience, that monogamy without new things to explore and fresh sexual perspectives can be excruciatingly boring," says Tasha Fountaine, the company's public relations director and media buyer.
"Inspired by a magazine article that explained how pillows could help, they started working on ideas that led to the creation of our ‘love-style' furniture." "Love-style" sums up how Liberator has positioned its Bedroom Adventure Gear line. "Love-style exists in the space between where the act of love meets art and invention," Fountaine tells ANB. "We're not really an openly ‘adult' product in the way that vibrators and inflatable dolls are. But we're also not quite mainstream; we fit in the place in-between."
All of Liberator's love-style furniture is designed, made, and tested in its 135,000-square-foot plant in Atlanta. The company also has a factory store and a website. Most of its products (furniture and other adult goods) are sold directly to consumers.
"We have product developers in-house who come up with shapes that fit our market," Fountaine says. "We test the shapes out for various love-making positions. If they work, then we manufacture the product right here, with the help of our own foam-cutters and sewers."
Apparently, Liberator's Adventure Gear has hit a nerve in the market. In five short years, the company has grown by leaps and bounds from a small business to a 200-person operation. Its sales have been helped by positive coverage in men's magazines: "Variety is the spice of sex, and the surest way to spice up your sex life is to vary your sexual positions and techniques. That's where the Liberator shapes come to your rescue!" (Penthouse magazine); and "Liberator's velvety sex pillows represent a new era in global positioning ... Try them with a girlfriend, and we're sure she'll give it an enthusiastic ‘two legs up!'" (Playboy).
Writers for women's magazines are also singing its praises. As per a review in British Cosmopolitan: "The Liberator is a bestseller of a sex toy. Its wedge-like pillow shape allows you to maneuver yourself into different positions and can make those hard to reach areas easier to access."
But the attention doesn't stop at the printed word. "We are getting a lot of exposure in the mainstream media," says Fountaine. "For instance, our Bedroom Adventure Gear is in George Clooney's new comedy, Burn After Reading. We also advertise on radio, and co-sponsor/co-brand events that make sense, so that we can continue to build our brand."
Customers are happy with these products too, according to the testimonials found on Liberator.com. "I got the Wedge/Ramp Combo today (right before Christmas), and I must say this will be the very best Christmas ever!" writes Bella and Steve. "My Sweety and myself have already enjoyed the comfort, the softness and the creative inspiration the Shapes have given us! I cannot wait to order the Stage and the Cube. We really can not thank you enough! [sic]"
As for the future? "We have proven that there is a real demand for Bedroom Adventure Gear," Fountaine says. "We are expanding our efforts into our brick-and-mortar stores by opening 50 to 75 in the next 48 months, as per Joshua Maurice our VP of sales. We have added 14 countries over the last 6 months. We are also launching an exclusive line of Liberator products within the next 6 to 12 months, as well as expanding our existing lines."
It seems the company has seen the future, and in the future sex is liberated.
