Ethan Imboden is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Jimmyjane, a design-centric brand founded on the belief that life is better with a sexy twist. He started the company in 2003, seeing an unprecedented opportunity to transform consumer experience in an area of universal interest—sexuality.
Q: Can you give us some background on how you got into the industry of creating sex toys?
A: After several years as a product designer with large design firms, I decided to launch my own creative agency. While working on our first few projects, I was approached to look into creating a vibrator. After years of working on more typical projects—designing everything from toothbrushes to cell phones, furniture to eyewear—I was intrigued by the idea and decided to look into it further.
Friends soon discovered that I was researching sexuality and I suddenly became a sounding board for friends, peers, and anyone else who happened to overhear the conversation. It seemed that everyone had a unique opinion, and everyone wanted to express it. It was immediately evident that this was a subject of universal interest and enormous complexity.
I was stunned to learn that products related to sexuality—an incredibly important and vivid aspect of our lives—had received so little design attention. Clearly, products in this category were not being held to the basic standards of quality, safety, durability, attention to detail, and aesthetics that were fundamental to my work in other arenas. So I started sketching. The more I researched and the deeper I got into the design process, the more it became evident that there was an immense need for a new approach to sexual accessories and to making our every day a bit sexier.
Out of this idea, Jimmyjane was born.
Q: We have seen more quality sex toys being produced in recent years. Do you believe this is a sign of the acceptance of sex toys by mainstream society?
A: Though sex accessories have been steadily gaining momentum with mainstream customers for decades, there have certainly been major strides made in the past few years. A recent study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that in the US, 52 percent of women and 47 percent of men between 18 and 60 have used a vibrator. This seems to indicate that sexual accessories are relevant to (and being embraced by) a significant portion of the population.
We’ve even seen media icons such as Oprah and Barbara Walters discussing vibrators and articles on the industry everywhere from the New York Times to Forbes.
This increased awareness is helpful and is leading to greater acceptance. My hope is that the next step will be to move beyond acceptance to communication and education. There are a tremendous number of products in circulation that may have negative health implications. Customers are beginning to demand effectiveness, quality, durability, and safety and that’s a very positive development.
Q: We hear that sex toys have been deemed recession proof, what do you attribute this to?
A: People are returning to the basics—I wrote about this phenomenon in a recent piece for the Huffington Post.
When we’re under pressure, we’re careful to focus our resources on the aspects of our lives that are most meaningful to us, and our emotional and physical relationships with our significant others—and ourselves—are a priority. We also seek healthy escapes that offer relief from day-to-day concerns, helping us to maintain perspective. Quality sexual accessories can play a positive role in all of these processes. Jimmyjane’s products are in high demand because they not only provide pleasure, but also strengthen connection and create provocative possibility for our customers.
Contrary to what many assume, sexual products are not simply for solo use. Often, perhaps even predominantly, they are enjoyed by couples. Some of our products, such as Little Something and Form 6, incorporate couples-friendly features more subtly in their design. Others, such as the Iconic Ring, are clearly focused on this use. We have also seen tremendous growth in our line of massage candles and massage stones; products which help many to slow down, reconnect and enjoy their time together.
