In 2024, entrepreneurs Karlene Fix and Justin Langan decided to create Nuvo Desires, a Canadian lingerie supplier, with a little more than passion and a dream. Today, they’re wrapping up their first year in business and show no signs of slowing down.
WHY DON’T YOU TELL US ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF NUVO DESIRES, HOW THE BUSINESS GOT STARTED, AND ITS HISTORY.
Karlene: Where do we start? Nuvo Desires was born from the combination of our complementary passions. Justin and I meeting almost feels like kismet. We actually met at an adult toy store nearly a decade ago! We can’t agree on who first brought up the idea, but we’d been talking about starting a business together for years.
Justin: I’ve always had a passion for creating things. My background includes everything from knitting, crocheting, and sewing to leatherworking and woodworking.
I even dipped my toes into running an online adult toy store more than 20 years ago. While I enjoyed the experience, my true passion was never exclusively about the products themselves. It’s always been about creating things that other people can enjoy.
NUVO DESIRES FELT LIKE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BRING THOSE INTERESTS TOGETHER WHILE BUILDING SOMETHING MEANINGFUL WITH KARLENE.
Karlene: I’ve known for a long time that the adult industry is where I belong, where I thrive. My background is rooted in nearly a decade of happily working in adult retail, particularly lingerie, alongside a hyperfixation for sexual education and wellness. Body positivity is close to my heart, as a larger person.
Over the years, our chit-chats about the adult industry became dreams, ideas. What we would do, what we wouldn’t, what our logo might be-it felt like a fun daydream, until one day it clicked, Lingerie.
The perfect combination of our interests, my hyperfixations and his skills. I design, he engineers. I doodle, he drafts. His support allows me to dream big, and my dreams help motivate him into action alongside me. I might be biased, but we’re a damn good team.
In my experience within lingerie retail, It always seemed like people were looking for something just a fraction more. More variety, more inclusivity, more options that genuinely worked for them. I don’t know if there can ever be enough, but we wanted to provide that little bit more.
We officially started Nuvo in 2024, although we didn’t make much progress that first year. Years of conversations and daydreaming were finally becoming something real, but it would take a significant change in Justin’s personal life to really get things moving.
Justin: Around that time, I was diagnosed with cancer, and it changed our perspective on a lot of things, particularly how much time we spend putting off the things we want to accomplish. We’d spent years talking about what Nuvo Desires could become, waiting for the right opportunity to really get things moving.
My diagnosis didn’t create the dream, but it certainly reminded us that we couldn’t keep putting it off indefinitely. We realized that if we wanted to see Nuvo Desires become a reality, we needed to stop waiting for the perfect moment and start making it happen. After all, Nuvo wasn’t going to create itself!
In the fall of 2025, we finally got busy, officially launching six months later in March 2026. We don’t have much of a history yet, but it definitely feels like we’re making one for ourselves now!
LOOKING AT YOUR COMPANY AND PRODUCTS ONLINE I GET A REAL SENSE THAT MUCH OF YOUR MANDATE IS GEARED TOWARDS FEMALE EMPOWERMENT, SEXUAL HEALTH, POSITIVE BODY HEALTH/IMAGE, IS THAT A FAIR STATEMENT?
Justin: Lingerie has traditionally been associated with women and conventional ideas of femininity. But one thing I’ve been pleasantly surprised by is how its appeal extends beyond those expectations.
I appreciate seeing someone trying on a piece of our clothing or jewelry, and I can see that they not only look confident but they feel sexy. It doesn’t matter what gender they identify with, what size they wear or how closely they fit conventional beauty standards. We believe that feeling confident, attractive and empowered shouldn’t be limited.
Karlene: Absolutely! Nuvo is truly just a combination of Justin and I. Neither of us can shut up about our views, and while we can argue often. Nuvo’s core values are concrete. Inclusivity, accessibility, pride & positivity.
There is a viral term I adore, ‘customizing our avatar’. Nuvo aims to be a part of that, helping people express themselves, their sexuality, their self-love. We want all bodies to feel fantastic, and if our lingerie can help someone channel their beauty- we’re honoured.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS MISSING FROM THE LINGERIE INDUSTRY TODAY, AND HOW IS NUVO DESIRES WORKING TO FILL THAT GAP?
Justin: So many times I have heard someone say “oh I don’t have the right body for that”. I have never liked that. I want people to be comfortable in how they look. Going to a store, and having that disappointment of not being able to find something they feel will suit them cause a lot of items are either geared to one-size-fits-all sizes is not good enough for us.
Karlene: Exactly! Often those outside of the beauty standard are forgotten about, especially in regards to lingerie. There is a ugly truth that often people think their own bodies don’t deserve to be highlighted and celebrated. The reason could be endless-but we want to help eliminate those negative views, even if just a little.
Stretch marks are growth, of life within and/or that our bodies are alive, changing, growing. Cellulite is incredibly shamed, yet extremely common! Scars are our stories, our history. Love handles, extra skin, thin hair, wide frame, too tall, too short, narrow hips, thigh gap-it’s all totally normal and shouldn’t diminish confidence.
We want to represent human bodies. We all deserve to feel confident, seen, beautiful- whatever that means to us individually, regardless of gender.
Nuvo will never charge more for larger sizes, our pricing is the same from xs to 4x (& 6x where we can!) If we can’t make a style work in 4x, we won’t do it. All our styles are designed to fit & flatter, from xs to 4x. While a work in progress; our products’ photos will soon be available without any edits (sans a hiccup here or there), on multiple body types. Real photos, real bodies, real beauty.
HOW DOES NUVO DESIRES COME UP WITH SUCH UNIQUE IDEAS FOR ITS PRODUCTS?
Justin: A lot of our inspiration has come from personal experiences and listening to customers, using this to identify gaps that need filling.
Karlene: We want as many people as possible to feel seductive, empowered-whatever makes them smile with that magical feeling of confidence.
Personal experience too of course. Having a mother with significant mobility & weight gain challenges has taught me to consider things that are easy to overlook. How easy is a piece to put on or take off? Is it comfortable for someone who may have difficulty moving or adjusting their clothing independently? Does the style look and feel good across the entire size range?
Inclusivity needs to work in both directions. The industry talks about the challenges faced by plus-sized customers, and rightly so, but smaller bodies can be overlooked, too. We want to be aware of how different people’s needs can be.
Also, I might just have amazing taste in lingerie~ ;3 In reality, I’ve been extremely humbled when some pieces haven’t been popular, and I’m full-heartedly expecting a bestseller! I purposely order some styles I might not adore, cause I know there is a market, a trend, a bodytype, a niche, the style is perfect for.
After all, my personal preferences aren’t going to be everyone else’s!
Justin: Cancer has changed my relationship with my body. Some days I look at my scars and see the things I’ve lost. Other days I look at those same scars and recognize everything I’ve survived. I haven’t always found it easy to feel comfortable in my own body, and I think that experience has made me more understanding of people who struggle with their own body image. That experience has reinforced something we both believe: clothing should adapt to the person wearing it, not the other way around.
That’s why I don’t want Nuvo Desires to simply tell people they should feel confident. I want us to offer something that might actually help them experience that confidence for themselves.
HOW DOES A CANADIAN (SUPPLIER, NOT MANUFACTURER) LIKE NUVO DESIRES MANAGE TO STAY COMPETITIVE IN A SATURATED NORTH AMERICAN MARKET?
Karlene: Our prices!
Our MSRP is exactly that: a suggested retail price. Retailers know their markets and customers best, and they’re welcome to establish pricing that works for their businesses. After all, we all have families to support!
We’re proud of the balance we’ve achieved between quality, affordability, and inclusivity. Compare our products and our prices. We’re optimistic that Nuvo Desires will make a pretty convincing case for itself!
I’m sure other companies exist, but I personally haven’t seen any wholesale lingerie suppliers that have built themselves around accessibility, inclusive body positivity or sexual health. We’re incredibly proud to try & help fill that niche.
AS A CANADIAN COMPANY, HOW DO YOU APPROACH PRODUCT SOURCING, AND ARE THERE PLANS TO INTRODUCE MORE CANADIAN-MADE PRODUCTS?
Karlene: We want the best quality yet, most cost-effective pieces. Overseas manufacturing will likely always be a part of that puzzle, ultimately our priority is offering the best cost to quality ratio as possible. We want to offer the best possible value without compromising on the things that matter to us most.
We’re selective about what we carry, and if something doesn’t meet our standards, it doesn’t make the cut, it gets nixed.
Our first jewelry collection was actually a valuable learning experience. Too many of the pieces we initially sourced didn’t meet our expectations. It was a loss of investment, only a fraction passed our quality checks.
Inspiring us to make our next jewelry collection entirely by hand, right here in Canada!
Justin: Starting Nuvo Desires has really reignited my creative side. I’ve always enjoyed making things, but being able to interact directly with customers and hear their feedback has given me an entirely new source of inspiration. It’s encouraged me to start experimenting with my own designs and testing products that address some of the things people have told us they’re looking for.
For me, a big part of the excitement comes from exploring new ideas and figuring out how to bring them to life. Sometimes that means finding the right products through our suppliers, and other times it means experimenting with creating something ourselves. Either way, seeing someone genuinely enjoy what we’re offering makes the whole process worthwhile.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO PURSUE BOTH DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER SALES AND WHOLESALE PARTNERSHIPS?
Karlene: Our legal business name started as Nuvo Wholesale, while we had no intention of selling directly to customers at first. We’re greedy in the sense that we want to get our products into as many hands as possible!
We truly believe lingerie can offer so much more without having to cost so much more, and working with retailers gives us the opportunity to reach people we might never connect with otherwise.
But there’s also something incredibly valuable about interacting directly with customers, and that’s an experience we don’t want to give up. There’s nothing quite like seeing someone smile from ear to ear when they find something that makes them feel amazing. That’s a feeling I never want to lose.
Justin: Those face-to-face interactions also give us critical feedback that’s difficult to get any other way, especially as genuine and honest as the public has been in our experience.
One thing I’ve found particularly interesting is watching how people’s opinions can change when they actually try on a product. When it doesn’t work out, we ask why. Those experiences help us understand what customers are looking for, identify opportunities for improvement, and recognize opportunities we might otherwise overlook. Ultimately helping our retail partners offer products their customers will love.
While direct sales help support the expenses of running a young business, we have no intention of competing with retailers carrying our products. We see direct-to-consumer sales as an opportunity to stay connected with the people using our products while building a stronger wholesale business.
Our online store currently functions more like a catalogue, and with our upcoming website improvements we’re hoping to introduce a dedicated wholesale login to make ordering easier. For us, direct sales aren’t about shifting our focus away from wholesale. They’re about helping us better understand the people we’re ultimately creating and sourcing these products for.
WHAT ARE YOUR COMPANY PLANS AS WE HEAD INTO 2027?
Where to start?! We have a whole range of Nuvo projects in the works, and we’re excited to share how the brand is growing as we head into 2027!
First up, our website is getting a much-needed upgrade. Hopefully, it will be finished by the time this issue of Pulse hits the shelves! Managing inventory across three separate programs and more spreadsheets than I care to admit simply isn’t sustainable. This upgrade should help us maintain accurate, real-time stock levels while freeing up time to focus on other areas of the business, including…
New photography! Our current stock photos leave a little to be desired, and we’re ready for a change. Part of being a body-positive brand means actually representing the bodies we want to celebrate and help normalize. Justin has a trick photography background, and we’re learning how to utilize that for more mundane product photos. We want to showcase our products on a broader range of body types, helping customers see themselves reflected in our brand. All new product photos are on the horizon.
We’re also expanding into jewelry, which is a newer venture for us. After plenty of research and product testing, we’re excited to be developing a new collection featuring 304+ stainless steel. We’re looking forward to bringing something new to our product lineup and expanding the options available to our retail partners.
There’s a lot happening behind the scenes at Nuvo Desires. We’re investing in the systems, imagery, and products that will help us grow, and we’re looking forward to sharing more as these projects come to life!
IF YOU COULD GIVE ONE PIECE OF ADVICE FOR RETAILERS WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Justin: Inspire & invest in your staff. Just like negativity can spread, affecting the whole team over time-so can positivity & enthusiasm. Nothing is better for sales than a staff member who genuinely loves their job.
Karlene: The biggest trend in sales is morals, ethics. Customers want to buy from stores and brands they align with, from ‘safe’ values like “Made in Canada”. While Nuvo Desires is authentic in its views and pride, we’ll continue to prove that through our products and actions-people also want to buy from companies that stand for them, want to feel seen or know their hard earned dollars aren’t going to another of the 1%.
IF NUVO DESIRES COULD CHANGE SOMETHING ABOUT THE LINGERIE INDUSTRY, WHAT WOULD YOU WANT THAT CHANGE TO BE?
Fast fashion. We hope people don’t see our MSRP and hear ‘disposable’. The vast majority of our lingerie is machine wash, and dryable! We want people to love our lingerie and reach for it often! Ultimately, if we could change only one thing, it would be the expectation that people need to fit a particular image to feel beautiful.
There isn’t one standard of beauty, and we don’t believe the lingerie industry should act as though there is.
