Lingerie (Like A Celeb)

Mail-order sounds so … old-fashioned, doesn’t it? In a way, lingerie is too—in our era of empowerment I feel like women have sometimes missed out on the core ability of lingerie to make us feel pretty. But celebs rock lingerie all the time (in movies, ads, real life??), so in the interest of living like celebs, we should too. Confession: I recently ordered lingerie that I have no idea how to wear from intimint! Have I worn it for anyone but myself yet? No, but …

Anyway, when founder Jiabei Chen, a friend of a friend, contacted me about her new online-only lingerie boutique, Ampere, my interest was obviously piqued. She left law to co-found the site “because we believe in the power of lingerie to make a woman feel confident and beautiful.” Awwww yeah. And she’s a young, successful, woman entrepreneur to boot! She answered a few questions:

1. What’s the meaning of Ampere?

The name was inspired by the unit of measurement for electrical current, more commonly known as an Amp. Wearing beautiful lingerie can spark a woman’s confidence and energize her on an otherwise ordinary day.

2. Why lingerie?

We believe in the power of lingerie to make a woman feel confident and beautiful. Shopping for lingerie, however, is a different story. As a petite yet busty girl, I had a hard time finding bras in my size that weren’t boring and bland. My co-founder has more traditional proportions but had been wearing the wrong size her entire life. After speaking with friends, family and colleagues, we discovered that many women were similarly frustrated. We set out to find a better way.

3. What are the price points?

Our bras are $95 which includes a free matching panty. Our Madison Romper is $145. Shipping and return shipping are always free.

 4. Why online-only?

E-commerce is a great forum for lingerie. From the customer’s perspective, we’ve eliminated all of the risk and unpleasantness associated with shopping for intimate apparel. Instead of an uncomfortable fitting room, our customers are able to try on our pieces in the comfort of her own home. She can see how they look under her favorite outfits and ask for a second opinion from loved ones instead of a sales woman.

From a business perspective, we’re able to offer a truly luxurious product at a very reasonable price point because we’ve avoided the overhead costs associated with traditional retail.

5. What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned about being an entrepreneur?

Before I left my law firm to start Ampere, a friend and fellow entrepreneur told me that the highs and lows of running your own company were extreme. I didn’t really understand what he meant until the week we opened our site to priority access members. In that week I went from feeling excited and optimistic to worried and exhausted within a matter of hours. The smallest problem could seemed unsurmountable or hope and adrenaline could carry me through long hours of work. Sure, being a corporate lawyer was stressful, but at the end of the day I was merely executing someone else’s vision. Ampere is my passion and because I care so much about what we were building, it was hard to create some emotional distance. The key is to understand these ebbs and flows, take breaks, gain perspective and keep moving. It’ll all be worth it in the end.

6. Where do you see Ampere in two years?

In two years, we hope Ampere is every woman’s go to destination for beautiful lingerie. We hope that after shopping at Ampere, women expect and demand a better lingerie shopping experience every time.