After months of preparation and collaboration, we are pleased to announce our feature in Wallpaper* Magazine’s August “Handmade” issue. The feature is our first in the prestigious magazine and we could not be more proud. In the issue, we showcase handmade, one-of-a-kind luxury wooden hangers. The feature is a testament to everything The Hanger Project holds in such high esteem: craftsmanship, design and luxury. The hangers are unlike anything anyone has seen before, securing our place in Wallpaper* among highly regarded designers and companies. The exciting collaboration led to an expansion of our capacities and capabilities that will trickle down to our standard product collection.
Wallpaper* reached out to The Hanger Project in January 2011 inviting us to participate in their Handmade Project. The Wallpaper* Handmade project is a collaboration between the magazine, master craftsmen, expert manufacturers, and “top-of-their-game” designers. Presented at the Brioni House in Milan, Italy, during the Salone del Mobile furniture and design exhibition. Their challenge for us was to collaborate with their editors to handcraft unique, one-of-a-kind luxury garment hangers for this prestigious show. Together, we sketched a concept that fused the market-leading standards of our luxury wooden hangers and their progressive design insights.
We started with our just-launched Runway Collection of luxury women’s hangers. Already a major innovation in and of itself, we were able to modify the materials and finishing to yield a truly incredible hanger. Instead of our standard birch and maple woods, we selected two of the most exotic woods in the world: Macassar Ebony and Wenge. The incredible wood grain of these woods would require minimal finishing.
The standard shoulder flocking of our Runway Collection was then greatly upgraded by using Christopher Hyland ultra suede hand applied to the shoulders. Again, keeping with the use of only natural, luxury materials.
With the design concept in hand, we then had to find a network of craftsmen to help execute it. First, we turned to Pallas Architectural Woodworks, whose workshop boasts extensive custom woodworking experience and for whom exotic hardwoods were familiar. They accepted the challenge and hand-carved our hanger profiles out of solid wooden blocks. The hardness of the Macassar ebony posed a particular challenge, as it was much more difficult than the softer wenge to shape. However, Pallas was able to turn solid blocks of exotic hardwood into perfectly shaped hangers.
Finally, we approached William & Wesley, another custom furniture manufacturer with extensive finishing expertise to collaborate on the finishing of the Wallpaper* profiles. Each hanger was meticulously finished by hand to yield a patina more normally found on heirloom furniture than luxury wooden hangers. Former shoe cobbler Gadiel Ochoa then applied the ultra suede by hand to the hanger shoulders by fusing traditional cobbling and modern upholstery techniques. The richness of this fabric perfectly complimented the luxury of the Macassar and wenge woods, while subtly noting each hanger’s intended purpose. This proved to be the most difficult part of the project; however, Gadiel’s former experience as a shoe cobbler in Cuba enabled him to complete the project with unprecedented skill. The hooks were gold-plated, with jewels discreetly added to the tips, adding an unprecedented level of finish and customization.
From start to finish, the project took three months to complete after sourcing the wood and finding the proper craftsman. It was a true collaboration between Kirby Allison’s Hanger Project, Pallas Architectural Woodworks and William & Wesley. The project further illustrates KAHP’s commitment to luxury, style, and function and our singularity in a marketplace. The Wallpaper* Handmade hangers by Kirby Allison's Hanger Project are, without question or equal, the world’s most luxurious hangers.