Sex objects don’t look like themselves anymore. While the industry of personal sexual satisfaction is still dominated by glittery phalli and plastic rabbits, a handful of companies that challenge the anatomical form factor have started to emerge. And San Francisco-based Jimmyjane has been one of the driving forces behind this new design of delight.
Launched in 2004, the company first gained attention from the design world when founder and ex-industrial engineer Ethan Imboden teamed up with the renowned Yves Béhar (whose firm fuseproject designed the OLPC, among other things). The pair’s first collaboration was the Form 6, the first of the FORM series. (The most recent is the FORM 3, following the FORM 2 — confused?) Then Jimmyjane went on to collaborate with artists such as Jamie Hewlett of Gorillaz and The Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart on special editions, picking up design accolades like the IDEO and I.D. awards along the way. The company has almost singlehandedly paved the way for a new sex toy paradigm — high design that’s sexy, utilitarian, and accessible to the mass market.
by Leila Brillson
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