If only Janet Jackson had known about this Minneapolis duo's line of little products that help women avoid overexposure.
It all started with a gray sweater. Marni Bumsted was struggling to keep the fabric between two
strategically placed buttons on her stretchy cardigan to stay shut over
a bra. When her friend Jennifer Kouba saw her dilemma, she grabbed the
double-stick tape she uses in her job as a Los Angeles set stylist and
closed the potentially embarrassing opening.
Bumsted was struck at that moment. "That was so brilliant," she
said. "I was pondering, 'Why didn't I know about this?' Instantly, I
thought that it would be a cool product to sell." She thought about it for three years before teaming with a friend
she met through their kids' gymnastics, Jane Dailey. Together they
created Hollywood Fashion Tape -- 3- by 1½-inch strips of double-stick,
clear medical tape that is hypoallergenic and safe for fabric, packaged
in girly pink. A few strips can hold up a strapless dress, pin up a
hem, close up wrap dresses and, of course, seal a gapping blouse or
sweater.
Ten years after Bumsted's epiphany, the 49-year-old business
partners have sold millions of the sticky strips. Hollywood Fashion
Tape is available in more than 30 countries (it's huge in Australia).
The beauty magazine Allure named it a "best product" in the October
2007 issue. And it's caught the attention of celebrities -- whose
moments in the spotlight require paparazzi-foiling coverup. "Desperate
Housewives" star Eva Longoria's wedding planner called to get some for
her wedding party. Teri Hatcher, Debra Messing and Joan Rivers are fans......