More sex: Matali Crasset has designed a 'love toy' for Exquise Design For Pleasure - a new brand that aims to reinvent the notion of the sex toy by working with leading female designers.

Called 8ème Ciel (8th Heaven), the design will be launched in Milan in April during the furniture fair.

The product is made of silicon and in the palm of the hand; eight metal balls move freely inside the silicon to massage the body.

Paola Bjaringer, founder of Exquise Design For Pleasure, explained the concept to us:

"The first Exquise collection is on the theme of LOVE. Loving yourself, your body, your own touch, through an object of beautiful and intelligent design. In other words reinventing the notion of 'sex toy' by adding the fundamentally missing element: design thinking by real pros. Matali is one of them.

"For that I commissionned several women designers from different countries, ages and notoriety. One Swede, one French, one Swiss/Brazilian and myself.

"All the women designers were given the same brief: imagine an object of pleasure for women that 1) is made of silicone 2) is non-explicit 3) integrates with the body (ie not acting as a 'tool').

"For months we discussed back and forth (i was myself a gender studies specialist in my early life). Each designer came up with very different ideas. Which proves that there are so many ways to think about pleasure, sexuality and how to make such an object.

"Culture also influences their design in this project... Overall the thining process has been and is extremely interesting since it tackles old and new notions of unexplored design.

"And so now the first object is finished and ready to move into production. It is named the 8th Heaven or 8ème Ciel by matali crasset. It works as an extension of the hand, resting peacefully in the palm of the hand. Inside the silky silicone are 8 metal balls that move freely inside the soft material, and massage gently any part of the body you like.

"Extension of the hand... of the imagination too! An object meant for an exploration of the senses into a new era of sexuality. New designs for a new vision of the body and how we as design professionnals can think about this body and its everyday life.

"By women for women is an important part of this unique collection. Indeed no women designers had seriously thought about this theme before.

"The second lovetoy (a word we have invented) will soon be ready, it is called Georgia and is by Andrea Knecht a very talented young designer from Brazil who was the first woman to graduate from Ecal industrial design master.

The Swedish and my design will come out late 2007.

Attached some pictures of the 8th heaven. This object needs to be touched, fellt and seen. It looks 'cold' when it actually is an object of soulbeat. The material is extremely soft, the texture and weight very light and deliciously natural. It's made in the UK through our own factory.