Two years since Charlotte and Mollie O’Sullivan drew open the velvet curtain on their sexy speakeasy boutique, they’re ready to share their next passion project (pun intended) with the world.
The co-founders and sisters have learned a lot in the last two years. When they first opened Hall of Harper – the slinky sex shop (né, boutique) which adjoins the O’Sullivan family business, the iconic Condom Kingdom – they had no idea of the journey they were embarking on.
Back then, their focus was on curating the ultimate shopping experience – particularly for women. They spent most of their first year observing customer behaviours, listening to their questions and identifying gaps.
Now, they’ve turned those insights into Harper Intimates.
“We kept finding ourselves in conversations with women who didn’t want to have sex anymore. So often they were coming in asking about our libido gummies – looking for a pill that could fix everything,” Charlotte says. “I used to study naturopathy and Chinese medicine, so I’m wired to treat everything as a whole. There’s no band-aid.”
Harper Intimates was the natural next step. By appealing to all five senses, the idea is to provide the tools we need to better understand our desires; to ‘become more embodied’, as Charlotte puts it. And to make the learning process a little more fun, while we’re at it.
Shifting from stockists to designers came naturally, too, particularly for Charlotte. Honing the products and packaging directly with manufacturers has brought both control – over the quality, production and overall look and feel – and a much-needed creative outlet. Their 2023 trip to Hong Kong and China, meeting with suppliers and visiting factories, was a major highlight.
“We have created such strong relationships, and they’re the foundation of what we’ve been able to do,” Charlotte says. “I love knowing the ins and outs – it’s fun, but it also helps us be really transparent. That trip was so important. I was super impressed.”
Fast forward to now and Harper Intimates has launched with its first suite of sense-driven products – each designed to tantalise a different area. The standout is Touch: the embodiment of Harper’s commitment to thoughtful, sensory design. As Charlotte says, it’s more than an arousal tool.
“We wanted to offer a slower, more feminine approach than the fast-paced, results-driven products that dominate the industry,” she explains. “I feel like Touch defies what a ‘sex toy’ typically is. It triggers so many erogenous zones – people are instantly disarmed.”
From the texture to the understated colour palette, everything was carefully considered to make Touch approachable and elegant. It’s hardly a surprise that, out of all the products in Harper Intimates’ debut collection, it took the longest to make.
“I’m impatient by nature, but this process has taught me that sleeping on anything is going to do you a world of good,” Charlotte says. “The natural time restraints in the design process helped us make the best decisions possible – we got to really think about things, get excited, make them better.
“We learned that the first idea is never the best. Some of our first packaging samples were horrific – I don’t even like looking at them. I’d always beat myself up about things taking too long, but that year of development opened our eyes to so many things.”
Firm believers that less is more, Charlotte and Mollie have become obsessive about quality. They don’t like to buy things twice, so why would their customers?
“When you have that approach to your own products, you really make sure it’s amazing. We don’t want to deal with returns or unhappy customers. We do so much to make the whole experience impeccable, so to have that happen is the absolute worst.”
There’s also an implicit trust between them and their customers – one that Charlotte and Mollie take incredibly seriously. It’s why they’re so committed to designing products that do more than just ‘get the job done’. Each purchase provides a learning experience.
Inspired by the customer conversations they have day after day in Hall of Harper, they hope Harper Intimates can help us take on those topics that are shrouded in stigma.
“Just take libido,” Charlotte explains. “There is so much we need to understand – hormones, stress, children, life – in order to understand our sexual behaviour. Education plays such a crucial role.
“I can always put myself into a customer’s shoes. They may not have ever used a sex toy, or they just see it as a way to ‘tick a box’. We hope to really bridge that disconnect and help them tap into better connection, decompression, intimacy and ultimately, pleasure.”
Looking ahead, Harper Intimates has big plans to expand its offering – expect silks, embroidery and fun customisations that will fill out each of the sense categories.
“We’re constantly asking ourselves how we can bridge that gap between making timeless products and jumping on trends,” Charlotte says. “This industry has long been dominated by quick fixes and outdated stereotypes, but we’re finding that authenticity breeds abundance. This is so aligned to us.”
Charlotte’s five tips for tapping into your senses
- Ritualise: Everyone’s life looks so different, but there are always rituals you can create. Your morning coffee is a ritual. Eliminate the pressure and expectation that intimacy needs to be good or end in sex, and instead create a fun daily ritual with your partner.
- Remove screens: Remove technology from your bedroom as much as possible. Screen-free time is essential for helping you tune out the overload – it’s so easy to get sucked in.
- Play music: Our hearing senses channel a lot of emotion and energy, so put on a sensual playlist. It might open you up to things you wouldn’t otherwise do.
- Set the scent: A candle or an oil diffuser is essential for creating the right atmosphere.
- Ambient lighting only: No overhead lights! Lamps and candles are key for helping us get in tune with the circadian rhythm.
