But my first thought was that it will almost certainly be cloned and sold en masse pretty quickly, so I hope she gets enough revenue from it to pay for her time.
I find that this is tends to be the rule, not the exception and it's really reworked how I view things. I've started to almost (more jokingly than seriously) believe that the less novel something appears the more it actually is. The real mark for a good work seems to be "wow, how did you spend so much time on that? It's so fucking obvious" combined with "why has no one else done this?" But it is also easy to post hoc attribute something to being "well that's just x and y, so not really novel." But far too many things can be trivialized that way.
I wanted to say this because I think especially in engineering circles we have this wild novelty paradox. Where we can understand how our work, despite all outward appearances, is exceptionally nuanced and has minor details that are critical but when we judge others' works we don't consider such details. I think this is because most details are baked in when you learn of the new thing. But we got a good litmus test: is anyone else making/producing/doing this "super simple blatantly obvious" thing. If no? It's probably deceptively complex. (It's also why you should laugh at anyone who starts a sentence with "It's so simple, you just...")
My favorite anecdote due to its simplicity and ubiquity that I never thought about previously was the anecdote about the idea of making top surfaces slanted in public spaces to keep people from placing empty drinking cups and such on top of them. So damn simple and inconspicuous, but so effective and now I see it everywhere!
That's a low-key example of hostile architecture, isn't it? Other than preventing people from leaving cups around, this decreases the utility of public space. Everyone sometimes finds themselves suddenly needing a flat surface other than pavement for a couple of seconds or minutes. Say you've grabbed multiple coffee cups wrongly, or packed your groceries badly, and need to repack. Or something fragile you carried broke. Or you need to make a note on the spot. A raised flat surface nearby is godsend in such situations.
The reason why this isn't a thing yet is a few reasons - from my humble perspective:
First, it's actually a 2 part system.
You need the coat hanger but you also need the coat rack, more specifically - the dowel, to be really close to the wall.
So you would want to sell this as a kit. She doesn't really talk about it in the video - it feels like an odd afterthought. The kickstarter has it but only at the $135 starting level.
Secondly, it's not a "one size fits all solution". I can't use this with really bulky jackets. I think it's a cool, front door, guest entryway piece.
Last, it's pricy - really pricy. You're asking me to pay ~$15-20/hanger. If you have this specific problem... still hard pressed - definitely expendable income level. But because it takes up more width, it can hold fewer items not a general place to store clothes (hence i think guest front door would be a cool-piece/talking-point).
Curtain rods are a solved problem with widespread availability across the quality spectrum, this is a total non-issue.
I think the details matter. Curtain rods are typically 1-4" from the wall. This product looks like it works best <0.5" [0] from the wall otherwise it's possible the hanger will move around or have a "sagging" look.
Finding curtain rods that are that close is uncommon and limited in styles/options (I didn't see one on a quick amazon/aliexpress search). That's not to say you're wrong, but I don't think it's as simple as you believe it to be.
[0] https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/043/060/840/f8e1ace8b30ae8b...
Do an Image Search for "Clothes Railing U Bracket" for example.
But I agree you could build/attach small sidewalls or simply blocks and use this u bracket. But we've entered DIY space since it's not a common package and "readily available" as a solved problem.
A fitted wardrobe would be pricey (~$4000), barely fit depthwise and half of the space would just be covering the flue if we wanted it wall to wall.
On the other hand I can just buy 3/4 of these for each wall and still come out ahead. The grooves in the rods are well thought out and mean that I can saw them to size myself, as can anyone.
The only drawback I can think of is having clothes up directly against a wall. This could obstruct airflow and be an incentive for mould to grow.
Might be time for my first ever pledge.
Btw, there is an alternative solution, a hanger where the hook can spin, so one can hang clothes diagonally, nearly flat. Hers looks nicer on the wall though.
Wouldn’t it be worth taking out a design patent on a product like this? It might not stop people making similar designs, but it would give you protection against outright clones.
The sheer quantity of goods being shipped in, one-by-one on a daily basis make it impossible to block in any effective manner.
I also wondered if it wouldn't make your shirts more wrinkly or have the potential to leave creases. I don't think anyone cares to invest in a space-saving solution like this if it means all their shirts will be wrinkled or creased. Unless space is the primary constraint, like a tiny apartment, tiny house, or custom van build.
Simone's hangers would have been perfect.
> While using your own rod isn't recommended, we got a lot of requests for it so here you go! Please read our FAQ before buying so you're aware of the pros and cons. Some basic DIY knowhow required.
I think she knows the hanger is only useful as part of a system.