(Filed Under wholesale Lingerie News). BL Intimates, a leading intimate apparel distributor here and in Canada, has just begun distribution in the U.S. of Ilusion, a top intimate apparel brand from Mexico.

Planning and preparation for the launch has been in the works for over a year, with the first roll out of Ilusion lingerie starting in mid-April on Herroom.com. The brand will soon be available at other websites and at brick and mortar stores. The huge collection includes bras, coordinates, panties, tops, babydolls, shapewear and sleepwear.

Founded in 1998, BL Intimates is a partnership between Lamour Hosiery, Canada’s largest hosiery and activewear firm, and Vanity Fair Brands (acquired by Fruit of the Loom in 2007). The company has distribution centers in both Montreal and North Carolina, which ship to both retailers and consumers, and maintains sales offices in Toronto and Los Angeles. BLI distributes and markets in Canada all the Vanity Fair brands, including Vanity Fair, Lily of France, Bestform, Curvation and Vassarette. It distributes and markets the Exquisite Form brand worldwide, as well as producing major private label programs for a number of retailers.

“In order the guarantee the success of the Ilusion launch in the U.S. we fine tuned our supply chain and opened a dedicated sales office in Los Angeles to ensure we could deliver quickly and smoothly to every retailer,” said BLI director Alan Ginsberg.

“BLI will manage and direct all U.S. operations from the new Ilusion USA Los Angeles sales office. Diltex, the owner of the brand, will manage the entire supply chain, from design and production to just-in time delivery,” he concluded.

“We are a Latin brand,” explained Ximena Cortina, Ilusion’s brand manager. “Ilusion is a 100% Mexican with over 70 years in the market. More than a brand we are a movement, empowering and inspiring Latina women around the world, honoring beauty fueled by inner strength.” Indeed, the company’s slogan is “Donde hay una mujer hay Ilusion,” or “Where there is a woman there is hope.”

Diltex itself is a vertical manufacturer in Mexico, founded in 1949, that “now employs over 6,500 workers across Mexico, the U.S., Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Costa Rica. Utilizing eight production plants, and distribution centers in both Mexico and California, Diltex produces about 50 million pieces a year, and serve over 3000 retail stores and over 120,000 catalog resellers” according to company documents.

“As a leading fashion company in Mexico and Central America, our consumer-driven vision is 100% focused on building a strong brand relationship with our customers and suppliers,” continued Cortina. “We create fashion and experiences that inspire Latina women to enjoy their own definition of what being a woman means. Our brand vision is to inspire Latina women to achieve their best version of themselves.”

Ilusion is an “authentic Latina brand,” she emphasized, that combines feminine design, with quality and innovation. “We’ve developed a very deep understanding of her desires, of what she cares for, her body, how her body changes. And we are able to offer a huge variety of products to meet all of her needs.”

The brand manager provided some statistics to back up her optimism about the U.S. launch. “People of Mexican origin account for over 60% (37 million) of the nation’s overall Hispanic population. Hispanics made up 18% of the U.S. population in 2019, up from 16% in 2010 and just 5% in 1970. There are 50.5 million Hispanics in the U.S. And 37% of them are foreign born.”

Ilusion’s habit of spending heavily on marketing, producing high quality graphics and widely seen advertising may accelerate the launch. “In Mexico we have 95% brand awareness,” said Cortina, “making us the most purchased intimates brand, and the most loved Latin brand. We are looking forward to surpass market’s standards,” as the brand enters the U.S. Ilusion has already launched a social media advertising campaign here.

She promised to “keep growing our movement and building a strong community of happy, strong and empowered woman.” She pointed to 1.6 million Facebook likes and 240,000 followers on Instagram as evidence of the power of the brand. “Our social media will drive young women to your stores. And we will continue to develop a lot of relevant content with each collection that will deliver a powerful connection with your customers.”

While Latin women are the initial target, the brand manager expects Ilusion will also appeal to a wider variety of other women in the U.S. “Ilusion believes the world would be a better place if every woman built their own definition of what it means to be a woman. When we say we that we inspire Latina women and design clothes for her, we don’t mean Latina as a nationality but as a lifestyle. Any woman can feel Latina. The joy and warmth comes from inner fuel not from where you were born. We don’t label women, we invite them to join our movement. We are creating a caring and supporting sisterhood to build a brighter future.

Contact Christy Meyers at (310) 753-1386, or cmeyers@blintimates.com. — NM

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Published 05-05-2021 by Nick Monjo