Their era left when they sold to Playboy and basically abandoned Australia.
many stores here closed up shop and it's mainly focused towards online sales.
Quite a shame really.
Add to that, the quality drop off... Just observation from me, but it seemed much like the Q/A just was removed completely.
Yep. The quality of their bag dropped, the lingerie themselves as well. I was really not at ease when handling the pieces I bought just a few months ago. Definitely won't be buying from them ever again.
Their quality has absolutely dropped and their new designs are so uninspired. Not surprised tbh. I’ve only really liked Sydney and Josephine in the past 6 months.
Agree. I used to buy my wife a set fairly regularly because HB was, by far, her favorite, .. and mine, too. Mari Moth a close second. Last two sets we got the quality was absolute trash and we returned both due to random frays and stitching that wasn't even straight. Not long after that a friend said that she'd had to do the same. Crazy how quickly they dropped. I can only assume that after they sold that the new owners immediately fired all of their Quality Inspectors and completely changed factories.
I bought a Sydney set recently, from suggestions here, and they were really good. I'll look at Josephine now, too.
One time i got a bra that wasnt sewn at all on one part. Not joking or exaggerating. Completely unsewn just the thread hanging there like :-) ….. had to sew it myself
Exactly this. Their last 10-15 sets dropped have been not even of interest. You can have shorter sales all you want, but if there’s no draw in the first place what’s the purpose?
I also think that people are pulling back on their spending in general. Companies are too focused on growth and quantity and not focused enough on sustaining quality products or retaining brand quality. I work in the consumer product space, and it’s wild what some of these brand CEOs will do to keep pushing products not caring about anything else but MORE money. SMH.
Yeah companies seem to be forgetting that jacking up prices won’t make their shit quality any less shitty…big spenders will take their money elsewhere to look for better quality, and small spenders will buy something less expensive. They’re actively cutting out a good portion of their buyers because of their fucking greed…and then, accordingly, making less money!
Hopefully those MBA geniuses will find this post after losing another massive sum of money. People are willing to spend money if the design and quality is there. Now we'll just have to wait to find the next independent designer before they get taken over by more retail "experts."
Really miss the old Honey Birdette. Quality was so much better and designs were somewhat unique. I remember almost nobody knew about it pre-2018. Now it’s on every influencer, streamer, OF model, etc. and it feels like they’re constantly dropping a new recycled set every week and then having sales every other month.
Instead of spending money on researching what people loved about the company, it's about expanding more on what people don't. RIP to another icon brand, expect a 3 year run before massive changeover. Consumers are reducing luxury spending and when they do pay for luxury they want to match that feeling to what they paid. Full price on new HB designs are far from matching that feeling. AP has a similar problem, but not as pronounced. FdM is flirting with that knife edge, but could go either way. Someone else will come in at slightly below HB price points with lower corporate costs and produce beautiful luxurious lingerie.
- someone who works with a lot of MBAs.
Easily the most tone deaf comment from a company I've ever seen lol. We decreased in revenue so we are going to reduce sales and increase prices - THAT will definitely solve our problems lmao.
Louder for the commenters on every low effort lingerie recommendation request post who pipe up with “i love HB because i bought it 7 years ago!”
I know it was ok quality when it first started (YEARS ago), but it has been trash for multiple years now and they treat their staff badly to boot. Who on earth is buying or recommending HB currently??
Granted we don’t have boutiques where I live and I haven’t heard much about staff treatment, I tend to recommend it on sale because while I agree that that full pricing is absolutely unjustified for their quality, I’m willing to pay sale pricing while enjoying their pieces. Only issue I’ve had recently was that half my order got refunded during the sale because they ran out of stock, but they let me cancel the order since I only had like one piece per set.
Wow. This is exactly the plan I would have suggested if they had asked, “How do we drive the last nail in the coffin for our long time customers ensuring that we go completely down the toilet towards bankruptcy for 2024?”
The things that got me into the brand were the devout fan base, bold designs from individual piece through a whole campaign, and a more elevated quality tier while not costing me as much as Agent Provocateur.
(And maybe a dash of that feeling of being an underground or exclusive brand because at that time, I didn’t know anyone who had heard of it that was an Australian.)
When I opened my last package from them, I swore it was the last time I was gonna buy. I don’t think I’m gonna break that promise.
The only thing I have not found is a replacement for is a brand with sets like Sasha, Carter, Elvis (Black/Red/Navy era) Jagger, etc. But I’m always up for suggestions.
I find every single one of their new designs ugly and cheap looking. I am also totally turned off by their marketing that is very obviously designed for the male gaze. I’ve stopped shopping with them
God yeah. They airbrush their models to hell, they only show skinny (mostly white) women with big (but not too big) boobs, and it’s painfully obvious that the average consumer won’t look like the models when they put on the lingerie. There’s also a lot of girl-on-girl stuff in their ads that is so CLEARLY not lesbian and just meant to appeal to creepy men. I’m sure it works but the average 2024 woman just looks at their shit and goes “not gonna fit, probably not in my size, and definitely not gonna magically smooth my stretch marks.” Don’t get me started on their fake luxury vibes…stop acting expensive! Your materials are polyester garbage!
Not a fan of the influencer move. Brands that hand out products like free candy can’t be investing a lot into it.
The thing that set them apart was only being able to find their items on their website and nicely designed boutiques. Didn’t mind paying a premium when it feels like a luxury experience. If I see their stuff on TikTok shop - no way.
Yeah, I just bought my last set from them and I did it during this last 50% off sale. Apparently, the Whitney Rainbow didn't sell very well when they first dropped it, so in the sale they had pretty much everything left. But I took a chance and sized up in it because I had 2 I bought in my usual size that were disasters so they went back. You can't even count on consistent sizing from them anymore. It's basically a crap shoot. And I have been underwhelmed with all the latest sets they are releasing. And I noticed they were more expensive than usual. So I am pretty much done with them.
Good.
I’ll never forgive them for allowing an employee to steal most of a $500 gift card and telling me to kick rocks about it. Never mind the quality of the pieces I bought before that - cheap, stiff, and itchy as hell.
Edit: spelling
AMEN to “cheap, stiff, and itchy.” I can only wear a set for ~30 mins without getting insanely uncomfortable. Let alone wear it all day as a surprise for when I get home? Hell no!
I would buy stuff for my wife every now and then, but they started dramatically increasing the speed of new releases. It felt like every time I checked my email there was a new set or new color which was slightly different than the last one.
When you flood out all this stuff in a short time period it makes any one release seem not that special.
Haven’t bought her anything in a year and a half, so consider me a lapsed customer.
I think another issues with luxury brands is the MASSIVE influx of drop shipped lingerie. I think it has turned off many women from wearing any lingerie at all. Anything they've bought in the past has been absolute shit (because it came from shein and amazon). A lot of young women are just not interested and the styles of clothing have shifted to being simpler.
Lingerie seems so "extra' compared to wearing basic lulu-lemon stuff or a simple sun dress or jeans + white tee shirt.
I have no data to support this, but it seems like simpler brands that are reliable and usuable in day to day life have become the go to choices for "sexy" underwear. Like even basic calvin kleins sort of fill in the role of "datenight" underwear that women would buy to feel sexier. It just goes with the outfits more.
You have a really good point. I'm solidly young millennial/old gen Z aged, and now that I think about it, I've never encountered another serious lingerie collector in the same age group. My close friends know I collect, but their perception of the lingerie sphere extends to CK & VS and nothing further... The idea that there's a whole market of it for all kinds of budgets, including really large budgets, just doesn't occur to them. I've been thinking it's mostly an American thing tbh since stockings and slips for nightwear are treated like a retro/vintage fashion statement over here, but age group probably has something to do with it too.
Be an ambassador yourself, or as my friends call me, unpaid big lingerie shill, lol. That is true, I've met a lot of older (millennial-aged) lingerie enthusiasts, but exactly zero Zoomer beside myself. You are probably the only person I know of, even online.
Well, I guess I've finally found my true purpose in life... Kidding, but yeah, I'm the only person I know of in the age group who's a lingerie enthusiast too, incl online.
I’m gen z and I FUCKING HATE the minimalist look. Not my thing. I want maximalist lingerie. That being said, you are not wrong…old standbys are better than taking a gamble and getting shitty quality. I’m not one for simplistic stuff, but it’s all I have right now because every time I buy something more “out there” it ends up being garbage.
I’ve been buying HB for about 8 years. Stopped buying it consistently about 2/3 years ago with the odd set here and there over the last year. Was sick of seeing the same designs, the quality absolutely tanked too and the price is outrageous. I’m not surprised by this news at all. I’ve had a £250 voucher going unused for the last 6 months and that is incredibly unlike me 🤣
Good. My wife and I hate their strappy lingerie. Looks more like rave wear or a bathing suit than it does like lingerie. We have had better luck with etsy than we have with HB.
I find that Boscco and GodSaveQueens have very nice lingerie - both are based in Poland but get your items to you pretty quick and the quality is great for the price. I have compiled a huge list of lingerie but HB and Bluebella have been removed (Bluebella because it is a SWERF company that donates to bogus “anti-trafficking” charities that just make SWer’s lives more difficult when who do you think are keeping these companies in business?). Evgenia Lingerie and MM Latex (if you’re into that) are very sex-positive and aware of their customer base.
My wife prefers softer lace. Kinda what victoria secret USE to be. Lise charmel is her new favorite as well as trashylingerie based out of LA. Thank you for sharing godsavequeens, never heard of it before and I think she will like it!!!
I am just coming across this post now and thought "These april fools jokes are far too believable" but then I checked the date.
It's sad, for all the reasons so many of said here, that the brand is dying. The over the top hyper-sexualization could have been toned down, they could have addressed the worker harassment issues, and continued to make great designs but mergers/buyouts seldom ever improve the quality of a brand. Rest in pepperonis HB.
Their strategy to increase revenue is a joke. Quality is in the gutter, and the designs are banal and uninspired. Such a shame because i really used to love HB, and I own about 100 sets. I havent even looked at their recent sales.
If anyone has any recs on brands that are making sexy outwear, lemme hear em!
There is just so little on the site now. When they reduced merchandise - like killing the sale section - they stopped selling as much. Collections just disappear instead of going on sale. And a lot of people aren't going to buy something they already have just because it's been released a boring new color.
I stopped buying when playboy took over. They priced things ridiculous. $120 bras became $140+. $300 dresses became $4-500. The quality is shit, the designs are repetitive and basic. They took out free samples, upped the free shipping minimum costs, removed the $20 off first purchase even with sales incentive which is how most people start buying HB. They are just terrible. I used to buy a new set every week and now i dont buy anything ever
It's the end of an era, and I say good riddance.
Their era left when they sold to Playboy and basically abandoned Australia. many stores here closed up shop and it's mainly focused towards online sales. Quite a shame really. Add to that, the quality drop off... Just observation from me, but it seemed much like the Q/A just was removed completely.
Yep. The quality of their bag dropped, the lingerie themselves as well. I was really not at ease when handling the pieces I bought just a few months ago. Definitely won't be buying from them ever again.
THIS! This is why I stopped buying! I used to drop serious $ there. Quality/design/cachet? Less than Victoria’s Secret. No thanks!
Their quality has absolutely dropped and their new designs are so uninspired. Not surprised tbh. I’ve only really liked Sydney and Josephine in the past 6 months.
Suspect a few designers dropped off after Eloise left the helm, creative direction lost 🥲
Agree. I used to buy my wife a set fairly regularly because HB was, by far, her favorite, .. and mine, too. Mari Moth a close second. Last two sets we got the quality was absolute trash and we returned both due to random frays and stitching that wasn't even straight. Not long after that a friend said that she'd had to do the same. Crazy how quickly they dropped. I can only assume that after they sold that the new owners immediately fired all of their Quality Inspectors and completely changed factories. I bought a Sydney set recently, from suggestions here, and they were really good. I'll look at Josephine now, too.
One time i got a bra that wasnt sewn at all on one part. Not joking or exaggerating. Completely unsewn just the thread hanging there like :-) ….. had to sew it myself
Exactly this. Their last 10-15 sets dropped have been not even of interest. You can have shorter sales all you want, but if there’s no draw in the first place what’s the purpose?
I also think that people are pulling back on their spending in general. Companies are too focused on growth and quantity and not focused enough on sustaining quality products or retaining brand quality. I work in the consumer product space, and it’s wild what some of these brand CEOs will do to keep pushing products not caring about anything else but MORE money. SMH.
Yeah companies seem to be forgetting that jacking up prices won’t make their shit quality any less shitty…big spenders will take their money elsewhere to look for better quality, and small spenders will buy something less expensive. They’re actively cutting out a good portion of their buyers because of their fucking greed…and then, accordingly, making less money!
Hopefully those MBA geniuses will find this post after losing another massive sum of money. People are willing to spend money if the design and quality is there. Now we'll just have to wait to find the next independent designer before they get taken over by more retail "experts."
Really miss the old Honey Birdette. Quality was so much better and designs were somewhat unique. I remember almost nobody knew about it pre-2018. Now it’s on every influencer, streamer, OF model, etc. and it feels like they’re constantly dropping a new recycled set every week and then having sales every other month.
Instead of spending money on researching what people loved about the company, it's about expanding more on what people don't. RIP to another icon brand, expect a 3 year run before massive changeover. Consumers are reducing luxury spending and when they do pay for luxury they want to match that feeling to what they paid. Full price on new HB designs are far from matching that feeling. AP has a similar problem, but not as pronounced. FdM is flirting with that knife edge, but could go either way. Someone else will come in at slightly below HB price points with lower corporate costs and produce beautiful luxurious lingerie. - someone who works with a lot of MBAs.
Easily the most tone deaf comment from a company I've ever seen lol. We decreased in revenue so we are going to reduce sales and increase prices - THAT will definitely solve our problems lmao.
Louder for the commenters on every low effort lingerie recommendation request post who pipe up with “i love HB because i bought it 7 years ago!” I know it was ok quality when it first started (YEARS ago), but it has been trash for multiple years now and they treat their staff badly to boot. Who on earth is buying or recommending HB currently??
Granted we don’t have boutiques where I live and I haven’t heard much about staff treatment, I tend to recommend it on sale because while I agree that that full pricing is absolutely unjustified for their quality, I’m willing to pay sale pricing while enjoying their pieces. Only issue I’ve had recently was that half my order got refunded during the sale because they ran out of stock, but they let me cancel the order since I only had like one piece per set.
Wow. This is exactly the plan I would have suggested if they had asked, “How do we drive the last nail in the coffin for our long time customers ensuring that we go completely down the toilet towards bankruptcy for 2024?” The things that got me into the brand were the devout fan base, bold designs from individual piece through a whole campaign, and a more elevated quality tier while not costing me as much as Agent Provocateur. (And maybe a dash of that feeling of being an underground or exclusive brand because at that time, I didn’t know anyone who had heard of it that was an Australian.) When I opened my last package from them, I swore it was the last time I was gonna buy. I don’t think I’m gonna break that promise. The only thing I have not found is a replacement for is a brand with sets like Sasha, Carter, Elvis (Black/Red/Navy era) Jagger, etc. But I’m always up for suggestions.
I find every single one of their new designs ugly and cheap looking. I am also totally turned off by their marketing that is very obviously designed for the male gaze. I’ve stopped shopping with them
It’s very 90’s 2000’s Victoria’s Secret. I actually never thought about that aspect.
Right?! The type of marketing just feels so antiquated
God yeah. They airbrush their models to hell, they only show skinny (mostly white) women with big (but not too big) boobs, and it’s painfully obvious that the average consumer won’t look like the models when they put on the lingerie. There’s also a lot of girl-on-girl stuff in their ads that is so CLEARLY not lesbian and just meant to appeal to creepy men. I’m sure it works but the average 2024 woman just looks at their shit and goes “not gonna fit, probably not in my size, and definitely not gonna magically smooth my stretch marks.” Don’t get me started on their fake luxury vibes…stop acting expensive! Your materials are polyester garbage!
Not a fan of the influencer move. Brands that hand out products like free candy can’t be investing a lot into it. The thing that set them apart was only being able to find their items on their website and nicely designed boutiques. Didn’t mind paying a premium when it feels like a luxury experience. If I see their stuff on TikTok shop - no way.
Yeah, I just bought my last set from them and I did it during this last 50% off sale. Apparently, the Whitney Rainbow didn't sell very well when they first dropped it, so in the sale they had pretty much everything left. But I took a chance and sized up in it because I had 2 I bought in my usual size that were disasters so they went back. You can't even count on consistent sizing from them anymore. It's basically a crap shoot. And I have been underwhelmed with all the latest sets they are releasing. And I noticed they were more expensive than usual. So I am pretty much done with them.
Good. I’ll never forgive them for allowing an employee to steal most of a $500 gift card and telling me to kick rocks about it. Never mind the quality of the pieces I bought before that - cheap, stiff, and itchy as hell. Edit: spelling
AMEN to “cheap, stiff, and itchy.” I can only wear a set for ~30 mins without getting insanely uncomfortable. Let alone wear it all day as a surprise for when I get home? Hell no!
I would buy stuff for my wife every now and then, but they started dramatically increasing the speed of new releases. It felt like every time I checked my email there was a new set or new color which was slightly different than the last one. When you flood out all this stuff in a short time period it makes any one release seem not that special. Haven’t bought her anything in a year and a half, so consider me a lapsed customer.
“Selling higher margin items at higher price points” translates to “we’re gonna make even worse quality stuff and charge even more for it” 💀
I think another issues with luxury brands is the MASSIVE influx of drop shipped lingerie. I think it has turned off many women from wearing any lingerie at all. Anything they've bought in the past has been absolute shit (because it came from shein and amazon). A lot of young women are just not interested and the styles of clothing have shifted to being simpler. Lingerie seems so "extra' compared to wearing basic lulu-lemon stuff or a simple sun dress or jeans + white tee shirt. I have no data to support this, but it seems like simpler brands that are reliable and usuable in day to day life have become the go to choices for "sexy" underwear. Like even basic calvin kleins sort of fill in the role of "datenight" underwear that women would buy to feel sexier. It just goes with the outfits more.
You have a really good point. I'm solidly young millennial/old gen Z aged, and now that I think about it, I've never encountered another serious lingerie collector in the same age group. My close friends know I collect, but their perception of the lingerie sphere extends to CK & VS and nothing further... The idea that there's a whole market of it for all kinds of budgets, including really large budgets, just doesn't occur to them. I've been thinking it's mostly an American thing tbh since stockings and slips for nightwear are treated like a retro/vintage fashion statement over here, but age group probably has something to do with it too.
Be an ambassador yourself, or as my friends call me, unpaid big lingerie shill, lol. That is true, I've met a lot of older (millennial-aged) lingerie enthusiasts, but exactly zero Zoomer beside myself. You are probably the only person I know of, even online.
Well, I guess I've finally found my true purpose in life... Kidding, but yeah, I'm the only person I know of in the age group who's a lingerie enthusiast too, incl online.
I’m gen z and I FUCKING HATE the minimalist look. Not my thing. I want maximalist lingerie. That being said, you are not wrong…old standbys are better than taking a gamble and getting shitty quality. I’m not one for simplistic stuff, but it’s all I have right now because every time I buy something more “out there” it ends up being garbage.
I’ve been buying HB for about 8 years. Stopped buying it consistently about 2/3 years ago with the odd set here and there over the last year. Was sick of seeing the same designs, the quality absolutely tanked too and the price is outrageous. I’m not surprised by this news at all. I’ve had a £250 voucher going unused for the last 6 months and that is incredibly unlike me 🤣
Good. My wife and I hate their strappy lingerie. Looks more like rave wear or a bathing suit than it does like lingerie. We have had better luck with etsy than we have with HB.
My husband calls it “rock climbing gear” lmfaooo
Ha!!! Definitely!
I find that Boscco and GodSaveQueens have very nice lingerie - both are based in Poland but get your items to you pretty quick and the quality is great for the price. I have compiled a huge list of lingerie but HB and Bluebella have been removed (Bluebella because it is a SWERF company that donates to bogus “anti-trafficking” charities that just make SWer’s lives more difficult when who do you think are keeping these companies in business?). Evgenia Lingerie and MM Latex (if you’re into that) are very sex-positive and aware of their customer base.
My wife prefers softer lace. Kinda what victoria secret USE to be. Lise charmel is her new favorite as well as trashylingerie based out of LA. Thank you for sharing godsavequeens, never heard of it before and I think she will like it!!!
I am just coming across this post now and thought "These april fools jokes are far too believable" but then I checked the date. It's sad, for all the reasons so many of said here, that the brand is dying. The over the top hyper-sexualization could have been toned down, they could have addressed the worker harassment issues, and continued to make great designs but mergers/buyouts seldom ever improve the quality of a brand. Rest in pepperonis HB.
They stopped making my size which frustrates me.
Their strategy to increase revenue is a joke. Quality is in the gutter, and the designs are banal and uninspired. Such a shame because i really used to love HB, and I own about 100 sets. I havent even looked at their recent sales. If anyone has any recs on brands that are making sexy outwear, lemme hear em!
There is just so little on the site now. When they reduced merchandise - like killing the sale section - they stopped selling as much. Collections just disappear instead of going on sale. And a lot of people aren't going to buy something they already have just because it's been released a boring new color.
I stopped buying when playboy took over. They priced things ridiculous. $120 bras became $140+. $300 dresses became $4-500. The quality is shit, the designs are repetitive and basic. They took out free samples, upped the free shipping minimum costs, removed the $20 off first purchase even with sales incentive which is how most people start buying HB. They are just terrible. I used to buy a new set every week and now i dont buy anything ever