Clothesnik: From Home to Dry Cleaners and Back Again
Eco-conscious entrepreneur Jane Wyler is out to cut down the consumption of one more form of disposable plastic bags. Wyler’s cotton canvas garment bag, called the Clothesnik, is designed to replace the clear plastic bags provided by the dry cleaner.
The Clothesnik acts as a drawstring laundry bag when held upside down for customers to drop their dirty clothes off at the dry cleaners. The labeled canvas garment bag is left at the dry cleaner so that when the customer picks up the laundered clothes, they will be packaged hanging in the zip-front Clothesnik garment bag instead of in individual plastic garment bags.
Wyler first launched the Clothesnik reusable garment bag 18 years ago and sold approximately 2,500. As the eco-movement gained traction, Wyler finessed her original design, and in September she resurrected her company, Reuseniks, with the Clothesnik product.
“Everyone is addressing the issue of market bags. It seemed so obvious,” Wyler said of the need to create a replacement for plastic dry-cleaning bags.
Wyler has sold Clothesnik to several California-based eco retailers, including Living Green in Culver City, Montecito and Santa Barbara and Green and Greener in North Hollywood.
Some dry cleaners—such as Presto Cleaners in Glendale, Calif.; Paragon Cleaners in Hollywood; and Ritz Cleaners in Los Angeles—sell the bags, as well.
“It saves [dry cleaners] money in plastic bags; it saves them labor,” said Wyler, explaining that the dry cleaners do not have to spend time individually bagging each item of clothing. According to Wyler, the breathable cotton Clothesnik bag ensures that the toxic gasses used for dry cleaning are able to be released, unlike plastic bags, which trap gasses. The bags are $15 wholesale and can fit “at least” 15 men’s shirts on wire hangers. For more information, call Reuseniks at (310) 472-3873 or visit www.reuseniks.com. —Rhea Cortado
