9 B ≥Sam Roddick tickles Laura Tennant’s fancy
rowse Coco de Mer’s elegant website and you’ll fi nd lingerie, sex toys and accessories, as well as an archive of
erotic video and photography it would defi nitely be a mistake to click on at the offi ce. But then, here’s a surprise – in the ‘events’ section, alongside burlesque performances and erotic education ‘salons’, there are photos of the company’s naked protest against the war in Iraq, featuring bare-breasted models daubed with war paint and wearing animal masks. It’s a testament to founder Sam
Roddick’s rather inspiring vision that crotchless knickers, nipple pasties, political activism and feminist principles can all happily co-exist in Coco de Mer’s big, bad, decidedly rude tent. And for all that the shop has helped to, erm, slip the word ‘vibrator’ into polite conversation, it continues to be as provocative now as it was 10 years ago when Sam, daughter of The Body Shop’s Anita, fi rst founded it. ‘I wanted a place,’ she remembers,
‘that refl ected my relationship to sex, and that was smart, humorous, beautifully sexy and fi lthy and, most importantly, emotional. And I wanted to change the way we as a society related to and valued sex, and put the intimacy, love and respect back in.’ The shop was launched with a
campaign that seems as daring today as it did back in 2001. Roddick recruited real people to be photographed reaching orgasm and used their faces on fl y posters. The campaign was shocking, candid, intimate, utterly authentic, wholly original and summed up the philosophy of this ‘erotic emporium dedicated to the celebration of sexual pleasure, empowerment, dignity and discovery’.
like no other
Back in 2001, sex shops were tawdry,
unsophisticated and depressing places, and ownership of a vibrator was not something you’d want to publicly admit to. Roddick set about creating a female- friendly alternative that was glamorous, chic, erotic and aspirational, and for that, says GQ sex columnist Rebecca Newman, British women owe her a debt of gratitude. ‘It’s hard to overestimate her importance in changing attitudes to sex, and especially to making people understand that it is not just acceptable, but desirable to spend money on items for your boudoir or to embellish your sex life. Sam has also done a huge amount to put love, joie de vivre and respect back into the bedroom, to go alongside those crystal dildos, suede fl oggers and soſt ostrich feathers!’ Yet the company is about more than
just consumerism – despite the fact that the AHH Fuji Glass Dildo with Whip (£950) is an object of desire every bit as beautiful as a pair of classic black Louboutins, a set of Stella McCartney underwear, or a bottle of Chanel Coco Mademoiselle. For a start, as befi ts someone who has
campaigned on behalf of the developing world’s poor all her life, Roddick takes her ethical responsibilities very seriously. All Coco de Mer products are made ‘with the consideration of environmental and human rights’. The company ‘invests in the talents of local artisans, and when we seek a skill abroad we work with small Fair Trade projects or cottage industries’. Coco de Mer genuinely wants to expand
our sexual horizons, too, and continues to transgress boundaries with regular salons, as Suzi Godson, The Times’ sex columnist and editor of
moresexdaily.com, explains. ‘I went to an evening hosted by Midori, an expert in Japanese rope bondage. She tied a girl up, put a vibrator between her legs and practically brought her to orgasm in front of us. I’m not embarrassed by much but it was really quite out there. ‘Sex is the one aspect of our lives where we won’t change and move on and try to
embrace new technologies,’ says Godson. ‘Yet sex is the glue that binds us together and it’s what distinguishes our relationship with our partner from all the others in our lives. Complacency about sex is the great enemy of any long-term relationship, so anything that challenges that in the way Coco de Mer does is incredibly useful.’ The wilder shores of spanking, dominance, bondage or role play may not be for everyone. But if you need a reminder of just how good sex with someone you love makes you feel, investing in a pair of fancy pants, bottle of scented massage oil or saucy book could be just what the doctor ordered. ‘Lessons in love,’ says Roddick, ‘really
do expand your relationship with sex, and our philosophy is to provide a platform where people can explore themselves and discover the potential pleasure that is locked inside their bodies. Loving, respectful, kind and playful sex is one very important key to human happiness.’
What makes Sam smile? ‘The fantastic food and art that is emerging in London – places like Bompas & Parr, the ‘jellymongers’, and The Curious Confectioner, maker of ornate edibles, are run by brilliant and creative humans and artists.’
PRIVATE PASSION…We’ve discovered a genuinely pleasurable way to wake up on cold dark winter mornings, and hurrah, it has nothing to do with diet, exercise or an early night. Luxury gift company Gallus et Mulier has spotted a hitherto undiscovered gap in the market and invented an ‘erotic alarm clock’ that doubles as a vibrator. Simply nestle in the appropriate place before you sleep, and wake up with a smile on your face. They’re calling it the Little Rooster; we want to add a recording of Daniel Craig telling us we look more beautiful without our make-up on. £69
fromlittleroosterstore.com
A GOOD BUY… Chocolate is a natural source of phenylethylamine, the same feel- good chemical we produce when we fall in love. Try Montezuma’s Organic Dark Chocolate & Chilli, £2.39 for 100g. Available from
ocado.com
> For details of Coco de Mer’s 2012 season of salons teaching lessons in love, go to
coco-de-mer.com<
PHOTOGRAPHY: ADRIAN BRISCOE
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