04.02.18
How did you get started: We founded The Laundress New York Detergent and Fabric Care collection in 2004 because we were frustrated with dingy white T-shirts, faded denim, and prematurely worn pieces. The laundry products available in the marketplace left us unsatisfied and the only alternative, dry cleaning, left our clothes loaded with chemicals. Knowing our wardrobes were washable, we decided to research and develop our own laundry solutions—literally!
Before we started The Laundress we worked for: Ralph Lauren Home Design (Gwen) and Chanel Ready-to-Wear as a senior account executive (Lindsey).
Our top-selling product is: The Laundress Signature Detergent.
My favorite product in our line is: Delicate Wash (Lindsey); Wool & Cashmere Shampoo (Gwen).
Our approach to product development is: We started The Laundress and developed each product as an answer to our own problems. Those frustrations included eliminating dry cleaning and successfully removing pit stains from our beloved white shirts. We also wanted to do a load of laundry and clean our homes all in one scent.
Who is the typical Laundress customer: We always say everyone has dirty laundry! We created a unisex brand that has so many solutions—literally—and offers something for everyone. Once a client tries one product, they come back to try more and incorporate The Laundress products into their lives.
The most challenging year for our business was: The most challenging time for us was when we launched. We started in 2004 as a startup creating a niche category in laundry and fabric care. The eco-movement wasn’t as evolved as it is today and niche brands were not as common, but we had potential clients who all shared a bad dry cleaning story, a favorite t-shirt that they wanted to save, or a stain situation that needed our help. It has been a process for us since then to “clean one person at a time.”
Adina Grigore, founder and CEO of S.W. Basics asks, “What is a piece of business advice you’ve been given that turned out to be untrue?“ We met with so many people when we were starting out. We got a lot of feedback, a lot of great information, and a few naysayers. We took the information that was helpful and moved forward with our vision, passion, and product excellence to succeed.
In 2018, The Laundress will: Continue to grow aggressively in the US and international markets and will be innovating in areas that we have not tapped into yet. We have many more laundry rooms and homes to be in!
Before we started The Laundress we worked for: Ralph Lauren Home Design (Gwen) and Chanel Ready-to-Wear as a senior account executive (Lindsey).
Our top-selling product is: The Laundress Signature Detergent.
My favorite product in our line is: Delicate Wash (Lindsey); Wool & Cashmere Shampoo (Gwen).
Our approach to product development is: We started The Laundress and developed each product as an answer to our own problems. Those frustrations included eliminating dry cleaning and successfully removing pit stains from our beloved white shirts. We also wanted to do a load of laundry and clean our homes all in one scent.
Who is the typical Laundress customer: We always say everyone has dirty laundry! We created a unisex brand that has so many solutions—literally—and offers something for everyone. Once a client tries one product, they come back to try more and incorporate The Laundress products into their lives.
The most challenging year for our business was: The most challenging time for us was when we launched. We started in 2004 as a startup creating a niche category in laundry and fabric care. The eco-movement wasn’t as evolved as it is today and niche brands were not as common, but we had potential clients who all shared a bad dry cleaning story, a favorite t-shirt that they wanted to save, or a stain situation that needed our help. It has been a process for us since then to “clean one person at a time.”
Adina Grigore, founder and CEO of S.W. Basics asks, “What is a piece of business advice you’ve been given that turned out to be untrue?“ We met with so many people when we were starting out. We got a lot of feedback, a lot of great information, and a few naysayers. We took the information that was helpful and moved forward with our vision, passion, and product excellence to succeed.
In 2018, The Laundress will: Continue to grow aggressively in the US and international markets and will be innovating in areas that we have not tapped into yet. We have many more laundry rooms and homes to be in!
