Actress-Turned-Inventor Puts Ahh in a Bra

Help Me Rhonda

Rhonda Shear began her career as an entertainer after being crowned Miss Louisiana USA back in the day. She went on to appear in low-budget films and earned a Best B-Movie Actress award for her work in Prison A Go-Go. We never heard of it, either, but it’s always nice to be recognized for your achievements.

She appeared on hit shows such as Happy Days, Dallas and The A-Team. But Rhonda carved a cult niche for herself as the hot hostess of USA Up All Night – a run that lasted eight years and spanned some 400 episodes on the USA Network. She transitioned to standup comedy and headlined acts in Vegas. She also appeared in Playboy.

After reuniting with a high school sweetheart in 2001, she re-invented herself as a women’s wear inventor/entrepreneur and launched Shear Enterprises. The St. Petersburg, Fla.-based company’s signature piece is Rhonda’s creation, the Ahh Bra, which “enhances your assets, eliminates discomfort and trouble spots and is perfect for everyday wear.”

The product has been a hit on the Home Shopping Network and even won a 2011 Undie Award. Not all fun, games and commerce, Rhonda has used her product and her visibility to raise money in the fight against breast cancer.

ID: How did you come up with the idea of the Ahh Bra?

RS: I designed the Ahh Bra for myself! I wanted to be comfortable all day and was tired of the digging, poking and discomfort of traditional structured bras. I had already been working in seamless with the Rhonda Shear intimates line at HSN and thought seamless might just be the solution. I worked with my team to design the original, authentic Ahh Bra using unique seamless knitting techniques to create a comfort bra that has millions of women worldwide saying Ahh!

ID: How did your previous experience on TV help launch your product?

RS: My experiences in beauty pageants, growing up in New Orleans and time in Hollywood led me to create Rhonda Shear Intimates. My TV persona was very sexy and my wardrobe often involved lingerie and lingerie-inspired clothing, so it made sense for me to get into the intimate apparel industry where I have been able to share those red carpet secrets.

I really love designing my own line as a woman, for women. For me it is all about enhancing a woman’s assets, flattering her figure and giving her confidence.

Did you know that the brassiere was originally designed by a man? With the Ahh Bra and my whole Ahh Collection, it is all about versatile styles and sexy, flattering fits- without sacrificing comfort.

ID: What work did you do for Playboy?

RS: My first Playboy appearance was fully clothed in an antebellum hoop dress … several years later I posed in some more sexy, comedic spreads during my time on “USA Up All Night.” I went on every talk show in Hollywood, appeared in several movies and shows. I loved every minute of it!

ID: What advice do you have for inventors or new-product developers?

RS: Keep trying new things, stay ahead of the curve and stay true to your vision.

When I design I try not to look at what other intimates designers are doing. I design for myself and the women I know. My best products are those that no one has done, so I’m always pushing my team to discover new fabrics, techniques and silhouettes to give my customers what they need.

In a lot of ways being a fashion designer is as difficult as having a successful career in Hollywood. In either industry if you are successful with something there will be 10 people right behind you taking your ideas or copying your product, but I have always tried to keep moving on to something new.

When I see that something is working I look at why it works and create new ideas off of it. With the success of my Ahh Bra, I have had several other companies create cheap imitations while I have gone on to design other quality comfort garments in my Ahh Collection.

The customer looks at knock-offs against my original, authentic Ahh Bra and they can see that I have a full Ahh Collection under the Rhonda Shear Intimates brand that is sold worldwide. I’m proud of my line, and I believe in my products because I have gone through the process of designing, fitting and quality testing each and every piece in my line.

ID: Where did you go to help get your product launched?

RS: The Ahh Bra had been in my Rhonda Shear Intimates line for almost a decade before we decided to try it as an infomercial product. I had designed the Ahh Bra for myself and my comfort-loving customers – it was tweaked and improved over the years as new technology was developed and as we got feedback from the many fans of the Ahh Collection.

We are not an infomercial company. We are an intimate apparel brand. But we thought that with the success of that product in our line it was worth sharing with the world. We partnered with one of the few honest people in the infomercial world and shot the Ahh Bra show in our local boutique on a whim.

The response was amazing. Apparently women around the world all want to live the Ahh lifestyle! In just a couple of years the Ahh Bra has become an international phenomenon and we have continued to innovate as a brand with new Ahh styles and new retailers around the world.

ID: What mistakes did you commit in launching the Ahh Bra? What would you have done differently?

RS: I have no regrets about launching the Ahh Bra as an infomercial product. There was definitely a learning curve as the infomercial process is different from selling to boutiques, on live TV or online, but overall it was a huge success. I never stop learning and have been able to apply feedback from customers and experiences in the infomercial community to grow the line.

ID: What did you do right from the get-go?

RS: Deciding to try the product as an infomercial was right. My husband and I, along with our partners, made our infomercial different from those we had seen before. We used my personality, humor and credibility as the longtime designer of the Ahh Bra to create an infomercial that was honest, entertaining and informative.

Visit www.rhondashear.com