Halve your clothing hanging time and do the job with one hand; these are touted as just two of the many benefits of the newest innovation in hangers: the Clothe it folding hanger.
Invented by Perth man Rick Thornton and engineered and designed in conjunction with the Form Designs team it is now ready for full scale distribution. Thornton’s company Hierarch Pty Ltd currently seeks investment in a 40-day Kickstarter campaign which could see this little Aussie hanger work its way into wardrobes across the world.
Clothe itis a sleek, V shaped one-size-fits-all hanger that features a press button function to collapse the hanger for easy insertion into the necks of your clothes meaning no more stretched necks on your designer sweaters ever! It’s small footprint when folded ensures easy storage, especially when travelling, and it’s made of durable industrial strength plastic as opposed to the cheap throw away items that currently flood our stores.
We remember our grandparents’ hangers that seemed to last forever and as well as really thinking about what we actually needed in a great hanger we wanted to engineer something strong that was sustainable and recyclable,” Mr Thornton said.
He knocked up a crude prototype after watching his partner Naomi Pietracatella struggle to hang clothes with their baby on her hip.
It was a quintessential lightbulb moment. With his press button design she would need only one hand to hang the clothes and after pressing the button to unlock, only one hand to catch them when released. It’s kind of a love story that birthed an innovative gadget which they are now both keen to share with time poor citizens of the world.
“You can get these hangers to help your partner too” laughs Rick Thornton. “And it’s an affordable, time saving device that will give you more time to do fun things. I don’t want to think of all the hours of my life I have lost hanging clothes up, and of course it’s also better for the planet because it’s designed to last” he said.
“Rick, is always inventing things and he’s helped me and our small family more than he will ever know. Because the hook is part of the main body it will never come off with our design — I say ours because the indentations to keep straps on was my idea and we work as team,” Ms Pietracatella says.
“I’m not damaging any of our family’s clothes anymore and find not only can I organise my wardrobe better, but I can also fit much more in!”
Mr Thornton says they still have some way to go to reach its $30,000 Australian dollar Kickstarter goal
“But we are really excited about Clothe it. All the right people are saying yes, and we have some interest in distributors at Amazon and in Japan.”