Lively is bringing a new point of view to the lingerie world by blurring the aesthetic lines of lingerie, active and swim. Correlating back to the explosion of athleisure, Lively coined the term “ leisurée" and quickly paved its way for becoming a new leader in the category. The brand’s mission goes far beyond just creating intimates, Lively has set out to redefine what sexy means today; healthy, full of life, active, smart and outgoing.
With a background in finance and retail, Michelle Cordeiro Grant, Lively's Founder and CEO launched her direct-to-consumer brand in April 2016, inspired to create a completely new experience for the category from day one. After just 4 months, the Lively movement has spread like wildfire, organically picking up customers in 44 countries, 14K engaged followers on Instagram and a Fit Guide featuring Lively customers, not models.
“I always thought there was something missing from the lingerie category, a brand that delivered on what it means to be sexy today,” Grant said. “We saw a void in the market for bras and undies that delivered on an aesthetic inspired by authenticity and real life. We wanted something that we could live in for 14 hours day, and not compromise on style or comfort. We no longer wanted to choose.”
During her tenure at Federated Merchandising Group, VF Corporation, and Limited Brands, Grant worked with top retailers and traveled the world to meet manufacturers. While at Victoria's Secret, she learned that the $13B lingerie category in the US alone, was dominated by a single brand.
“Working for top retailers teaches you how critical it is to create a strong brand with a clear point of view,” Grant said. “To create a world-class brand, it does not just live with the product alone, it is about the entire experience. The product, the packaging, the shopping experience, the customer service, and the inspiration the brand constantly reminds consumers of day after day.”
“Traveling the globe to meet with world-class manufacturers also makes you understand the importance of building a quality product, no smoke and mirrors,” Grant said. “I gained experience and knowledge on the best trims, components, and suppliers. Bras have 25-40 components. It is one of the most complicated products to make; therefore, to make a quality bra, you need a team with experience and expertise.”
Grant funded Lively with an angel round in August of 2015, bringing her direct-to-consumer brand to life.
“Our intent was always to launch Lively in a grassroots manner to get a really authentic read on how women responded to the brand first and foremost,” Grant said. “Prior to launch, we rolled out our social feeds – with a focus on Instagram- and immediately saw our message resonate, as we were flooded with direct messages and requests to support our brand. In seeing this reaction, we then planned a three-week pre-launch social sharing campaign. We kicked it off by emailing 250 of our friends and family. By day two, our servers were crashing and we closed the program with over 130,000 emails, double the Instagram followers and global awareness. Needless to say, these were our first and most loyal customers that have been on this ride with Lively since day one.”
With a crop of new lingerie brands competing to take Victoria Secret’s market share, Lively aims to stand out with their unique aesthetic, brand experience, honest pricing and focus on their customer.
“Lively is exclusively available on wearLively.com,” Grant said. “Our girls receive their Lively pieces directly to their door and can try everything on in the comfort of their home. The brand experience we offer our customers is everything to us, from the accessible and convenient shopping experience on our site to the luxurious packaging and customer service that is personal and connected. It is critical that we maintain this full-spectrum focus on the customers throughout the entire experience, and being in direct touch with our community allows for that.”
“When beginning design, we wiped the slate clean and just took our time pulling together elements of high style, function, femininity and comfort that we personally loved,” Grant said, “What resulted was an aesthetic that blurs the lines between active, lingerie and swim. Because we were so authentic in our concept and design process we all of sudden realized we created a whole new product category, leisurée.”
Lively has plans for expansion and currently is exploring options, which may begin with innovative pop-up shops.
“We do see a future where we will expand into adjacent categories that make sense for us like swim and active apparel,” Grant said. “It feels like an authentic, natural evolution. Today, we are focused on doing things extremely well, and defining what the category of Leisurée can truly become.”
All images courtesy of Lively
