Launch HN: Frey (YC S18) – Laundry and Clothing Care Products Tailored for Men
We started this out of a college apartment without the intention of it ever being a full-time job. We noticed that, although we were buying plenty of men’s shampoos, deodorants, fragrances, etc, we were still buying the same detergent our mom had kept at our house growing up.
A very small kickstarter rolled into a small appearance on Good Morning America, at which point we picked our heads up and realized we may have stumbled on a pretty big opportunity.
The laundry industry is outdated and commodified. There’s a massive ($430B) menswear industry and massive ($130B) laundry industry, and there’s a growing number of U.S. men doing laundry (55 million, up 23% from 2013). The laundry industry still seems to be missing this male demographic (and we feel this is also perpetuating this stereotype that only women do/should be doing laundry, something we want to help break down).
There are striking similarities between this industry and other consumer packaged goods industries that have recently underdone large changes (like mattresses, eyeglasses, razors, contacts, etc), and we hope to bring the same change to laundry.
We focus a lot on giving back as well, both for personal reasons (we always wanted to create a company that made a positive impact) and also because it resonates with our demographic. Our products are safer for the environment, we're a certified B-Corporation (meaning we meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency), and have a bunch of other positive initiatives we can talk about if anyone's interested.
We're excited to hear your thoughts on our idea!