SE Interview: Raising eyebrows—and expectations

If you are the company you keep, then Lora DiCarlo is ready for the bright lights.

Lora DiCarlo is an eponymous sexual wellness and technology company that brought aboard actress, model, and style icon Cara Delevingne as co-owner and creative advisor.

Delevingne immediately brings mainstream awareness to Lora DiCarlo, which already raised eyebrows when its flagship product, Osé, received the Innovation Award in Robotics from CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in 2019. That award was actually rescinded — yet later reinstated — due to its alleged “obscene” nature.

But this isn’t a partnership in name only, as Delevingne is expected to contribute creatively to the brand’s portfolio. SE Magazine spoke with DiCarlo and Delevingne on their relationship and what their shared vision looks like moving forward.

SE: How does your brand strategy change with the addition of Cara to the team?DICARLO: As co-owner and creative advisor, Cara will be deeply involved
in product ideation, including working directly with our in-house engineering team, alongside creative input, media, and advocacy for the greater purpose behind the brand. She will allow us to reach a wider, highly engaged audience, and serve as a total ambassador for the Lora DiCarlo concept. She has some amazing ideas about destigmatizing the space, which we can’t wait to explore together.

Cara’s product and creative input is exciting to see. Even early in our partnership, we have some game-changing ideas we’re cooking up. Cara is working directly with our marketing and integrated engineering team, which includes half women and a team of roboticists you don’t normally see in this space.

SE: How much of a reaffirmation in your product/vision/brand was having the CES Innovation Award in Robotics reinstated? How much confidence does that give you as you design products moving forward?
DICARLO: We were able to sit down and negotiate with CES and help them to rewrite their policies to include sex tech brands. The category started moving into the mainstream by being recognized on the show floor for the first time. We are proud to be at the forefront of moving sex out of the closet, and our customers recognize that.

If sex tech (or any tech for that matter) is solving problems, is tastefully done, and not objectifying women and human bodies, then it should have a place at tech shows and be eligible to win awards. Sex tech alone shouldn’t be in its own category—it should reside within the greater health and wellness category because that’s what it is.

When you put sex tech next to sleep tech or fit tech, it helps to normalize the entire topic. I came before and after many other people that have been fighting this fight and I’m honored to be among them in this space. Movement forward for each brand in this industry is moving the needle for everyone in this space into broader mainstream acceptance.

“Our CES controversy caught her eye because it was aligned with her ethos of embracing your individuality and truly having a love affair with yourself. We’re trying to destigmatize sexuality and empower everyone to explore and be comfortable with their own bodies, and that resonated with her.” — Lora dicarlo

SE: What do you envision Cara’s platform can do for the Lora DiCarlo brand?
DICARLO: Cara’s unapologetic and approachable nature will amplify our initiatives of bringing sex out of the closet and championing the cause of women’s sexual health. Our mission is to destigmatize the taboos surrounding sexual health and wellness in broader society today. Her involvement will drive mainstream awareness and we’ll leverage data collection from her very engaged community for feedback.

She has brought some wonderful ideas to the table that we are already synthesizing and we’re brainstorming on roll-outs that will land in 2021 in both products and services categories. We approach our products with a data driven model—conducting studies with experts and consumers to determine what sexual problems need to be solved and determining how we can solve them with our groundbreaking technology. Cara is really aligned with that sentiment; when I asked what kind of product she wanted to make, she asked, “What kind of product do people need?”

SE: Was there any apprehension/reluctance toward bringing Cara aboard — any risk of getting too big too soon?
DICARLO: Not at all. Cara’s and the Lora DiCarlo mission to bring sex out of the closet are very much aligned. Her coming on board will work to drive our vision of having humans approach their sexuality with positivity and confidence. Our partnership will allow us more access to mainstream input and engaged communities that will help us understand those problems by reaching out to this new audience.

SE: When and how did you both first meet to discuss this collaboration? What was your biggest reservation about working together? (scheduling, logistics, etc.)
DICARLO: Cara reached out to us about a year ago, before we launched. She had been looking at the industry and couldn’t find anything really well aligned. Our CES controversy caught her eye because it was aligned with her ethos of embracing your individuality and truly having a love affair with yourself. We’re trying to destigmatize sexuality and empower everyone to explore and be comfortable with their own bodies, and that resonated with her.

The moment Cara and I met, we instantly connected. I was surprised at how approachable, kind, thoughtful, and human she was.

SE: What’s been the biggest thing missing from sex toys and how do you feel you can address that moving forward?
DICARLO: It’s about the messaging, creating community, and offering data-driven solutions for some of the biggest problems in sexuality. Our partnership with Cara will allow us more access to mainstream input and engaged communities that will help us understand those problems by reaching out to this new audience. We are creating different product lines that are approachable and unintimidating, endeavoring to ultimately have ‘something for every body’. We’re also focused on expanding our health & wellness platform into broader wellness spaces while bridging back to sexuality as a form of wellness.

SE: What was your first introduction to the company Lora DiCarlo?
DELEVINGNE: I connected with Lora and her team back in 2019 and I really aligned with the brand’s vision and message right from the start. I was really drawn to how the brand was promoting a positive message surrounding sexuality, sexual health and wellness, and putting pleasure back into the hands of everyone.

SE: How excited are you to not just be a co-owner, but creative advisor? What do you have planned for the company and future designs?
DELEVINGNE: I’m so excited to use my platform and voice to connect with everyone. I want to hear people’s feedback, I want to know what they like about the products, what they want us to improve on, and what products they want to see from us or what they feel are missing from the market.

SE: You’ve a highly visible queer actor, how can Lora DiCarlo help foster understanding of mental health issues, particularly among LGBTQ youth?
DELEVINGNE: It’s necessary for there to be representation for everybody and I’m excited to be working with Lora DiCarlo, a brand that is really filling the gap in
the market and creating products that are gender inclusive and destigmatizing sexuality. It’s important that we continue to drive the conversation that sexual wellness and sexual empowerment is for everyone, not just females!

SE: What will a day working with Lora DiCarlo look like?
DELEVINGNE: I’m excited to start creating products and connecting with everyone, taking people’s feedback and creating products that people want, will enjoy, and are filling a gap in the market.

SE: When and how did you both first meet to discuss this collaboration? What was your biggest reservation about working together? (scheduling, logistics, etc.)
DELEVINGNE: I connected with Lora and the team last year in 2019, but like everyone else this year, we had to pivot and connect through phone calls, texts, and video calls. We were both excited about this collaboration and passionate about the work so we made it work!

SE: What’s been the biggest thing missing from sex toys and how do you feel you can address that moving forward?
DELEVINGNE: I am actually asking our customers and potential customers that question right now! I want to hear from people on what they think is missing and what they want to see and help develop with our team.

For more information, visit loradicarlo.com or email sales@loradicarlo.com.