Interview with LuzArte Products
We are excited that we had a chance to interview the LuzArte Products owner, Luz Chavez. We have been amazed by their unique products, also known as Jollets, or vaginal plugs, which quickly became some of our favorite toys. Read more about the company journey and the brainiac behind it below.
Squirty Birdies: What is your role in the company and how long have you been working at LuzArte?
LuzArte: My name is Luz Chavez and I am the owner / operator of LuzArte Products LLC. I am responsible for just about everything LuzArte. I started LuzArte in 2019 after popular demand for our Jollie and Jollet.
Squirty Birdies: What are the company’s purpose and vision?
LuzArte: The companies position has been to provide non-gimmicky, functional silicone sex enhancement products. On top of the effectiveness of a toy we also think aesthetics are as important. We have just spent the last year perfecting our visual art treatments and are now ready to expand, offering gorgeous silicone toys in many shapes.
Squirty Birdies: What made you decide that you want to start making sex toys?
LuzArte: In 2006, my partner, a medical product designer, was asked to create a sex toy by an East coast lingerie manufaturer looking to get into toy sales. During the design process the client failed to fulfill contract obligations causing the deal to fall through and we were left with the Jollie shape. So, we decided to try and sell it ourselves. We created the company Jollies LLC in "07 and started a non-conventioanl sales approach where we cut out the middle man by selling sex toys online.
Squirty Birdies: Can you tell us a bit about the company’s journey, from how it all started to where you are today? Sub-question: what were the major obstacles and successes in your journey and how did you navigate between the two?
LuzArte: We started Jollies LLC with the Jollie shape. During the Jollies LLC business time, we changed the original Jollie toy design to the Jollet. This was a direct response to people not understanding how to use the Jollie shape. Ultimately we wanted to produce high quality, one of a kind artistic works of art but at the time that market didn't really exist and other business opportunities happened to get in the way. I think we were ahead of the times. So we officially closed Jollies in '08 and moved on. For the next 8 years I was constantly asked via old email systems if it was still available. So in 2018 we decided to bring it back under a new venture of mine, LuzArte. The popularity of the Jollet design and the clear silicone motif with the polka dot puffs inside was almost instantaneous. We actually had a hard time keeping up with demand for a long time. The market has matured and become more sex positive which is great so we are now able to do what we wanted to do back in '06. And that is to produce the highest quality, one-of-a-kind works of art possible. It just so happens to give you an orgasm too! How nice is that?
Squirty Birdies: Your Jollet toy is fairly innovative, compared to the other toys on the market. Can you tell a bit about the design process of that, e.g. how did you come up with that idea and did you have to conduct many iterations based on user feedback? What were the main obstacles in the development process, if any?
LuzArte: In '06 everything else was pretty generic. So we approached the design of the toy as if it was another endocavity apparatus with specific design and function criteria. To meet this criteria, it was clear we really needed to know the shape of a vaginal canal when filled with a penis. So we created a way to do that by molding the vaginal canal with a penis inserted. What came out was basically the Jollie shape. We refined the shape to be the Jollie, a deep penetrating toy with built- in clitoral stimulation. Then we tested the Jollie. The feedback was astronomical, so we knew we had a HIT.
Squirty Birdies: Where are your toys made and what materials are you using?
LuzArte: All of the LuzArte products are manufactured in Arizona, USA. Our extensive knowledge of silicone resins for the aerospace and medical industries, I believe, gives us a real advantage. We not only say our silicone is safe, we know it is.
Squirty Birdies: In the last few years, there has been an increase in the number of startups, or indigo sex toy developers, aiming to design unique-looking (non-realistic) toys. Do you have any tips for them?
LuzArte: I really enjoy watching all the little startups in the indy toy market. We still opeate fairly independant from the conventioanl sex industry. We don't have a distributor network that requires low prices and high volumes. I think the indy sex toy market helps us achieve our independance by giving the public what they want and therefore the public is becoming accustomed to getting what they want from sex toy companies offerings. Does that make any sense? But I do think it's really important for people to know the difference between an indy "garage" operation from a "Mom & Pop" operation. Garage operations come and go. Mom & Pop operations support families. LuzArte currently supports 5 households including 10 people 100%. We will be around for a long time because my family loves to eat and I love to cook. So any advice would be to stay independent so we can expand the indy market by providing creative products at decent prices for both the customers and the manufacturer.
