LINGERIE

Hot Topic's Blackheart Shines Light on Lingerie Alternative

In every lingerie drawer, there should be room for some punk rock.

City of Industry, Calif.–based Hot Topic Inc. gambled on this notion when it debuted lingerie concept Blackheart earlier in November.

The pop-culture retailer, which has roots in punk rock and Goth styles, opened three Blackheart stores and an e-commerce site (www.blackheartlingerie.com) on Nov. 14. A store in Brea, Calif., took a bow Nov. 8. The company is opening another shop, at the Irvine Spectrum shopping center in Irvine, Calif., the week of Black Friday.

Although Blackheart remains a test concept, said Lisa Harper, chief executive officer of Hot Topic, it was designed to present an alternative in the American intimates market, for which women spent $10.5 billion in the 12 months ending in September 2012, according to market-research company The NPD Group.

The Blackheart shop at Glendale, Calif.'s Glendale Galleria mall is located adjacent to a Victoria’s Secret.

Don’t expect Blackheart to traffic in traditional pastels or satins, said Lisa Stanley, Hot Topic’s vice president of marketing.

“We didn’t want to do predictable satins,” Stanley said. “It isn’t us.”

The new lingerie concept’s heart-shaped logo was inspired by tattoo art. Many of its bras, panties and related items of T-shirts and hoodies also bear another obsession of the rock ‘n’ roll set—skulls. At the back of the Glendale Galleria store, there’s a garish neon sign spelling out the words “Peep Show.” All shops will play the eclectic music popular with the Hot Topic crowd.

The Blackheart concept started forming in early 2012, when the company was looking for a market that would not cut sales from its main Hot Topic concept. Hot Topic offers T-shirts, fashion and accessories with a pop culture edge. It had sold novelty lingerie before, but it had never developed a serious focus on the market. For the beginning of Blackheart concept, Hot Topic assembled a team of buyers who worked with veteran lingerie manufacturers to make a line with good fits and silhouettes.

With retail price points that range from $8.50 to $14.50 for panties and $29.50 to $44.50 for bras, Blackheart offers bras in core sizes of 32A to 38DD. The bras come in names that offer dangerous-sounding monikers. There’s the “Killer-Extreme” push-up bra, which promises to add two sizes to the wearer’s cup size. There’s the low-necklined “Deadly Plunge” and the “Toxic Demi” bra, which features unlined cups.

Roth Capital Partners analyst Liz Pierce gave high marks to Blackheart in a Nov. 15 research note. “Blackheart is a strong growth opportunity,” she wrote. “We believe it stays true to the brand’s identity while also appealing to a variety of customers.” For Stanley, the core group will remain women with a Hot Topic sensibility, aged 18 to 30. “It offers Hot Topic’s DNA of presenting sexy and rebellious clothes because we cater to women passionate about music.”