Following a successful first collaboration with Joseph Joseph (the Loop water bottle), BLOND was asked by Joseph Joseph to rethink a ubiquitous household object—the coat hanger. Achieving innovation in simple staple objects like the clothes hanger can often be challenging—however, market research uncovered two key insights, the solutions to which allowed us to bestow the object with market-first user benefits. The first observation was the frustration surrounding the jumping and tangling of hangers. This has been resolved with a larger head/hook—created with an elegant sweep—preventing the heads from jumping and promoting a naturally ‘orderly’ wardrobe. The second observation was that space is always limited in any wardrobe. Through an angled execution of the same sweeping detail, we achieved a unique nesting function—allowing the product to compactly and neatly stack (inside the wardrobe and during shipping).
From the outset, the hanger was designed to be made from PCR (recycled plastic). The large head and substantial sweep detail that forms the body of the hanger—are both oversized. PCR is naturally more brittle than its virgin-plastic alternative—and so, these larger forms enabled Joseph Joseph to use the more fragile, but more sustainable, material. The rubber garment grips were originally designed to push-fit into the body, and be held in place with friction so that they can be easily removed for disassembly.
Animation by Plain Studio.
Services:
Ethnographic Research
Industrial Design
Product Design
Visualisation
Video by Joseph Joseph.
