We’ve all been there... You make one small movement and a frightful tearing sound comes from the seat of your favorite pair of jeans. It has happened to the best of us and despite our better judgement, we’ve all kept a pair of pants around for one wear longer than we should have.

Everyone has ripped a hole in their jeans… You’re not alone!

It’s time we talked openly and honestly about the reality of that unfortunate tear in the seat of your pants.

When jeans begin to rip, which typically a sign that the jean is nearing it’s end, it is usually the result of  a seam burst or tear in the seat of the jean. Adding a patch to the tear in your  jeans is a service that most professional cleaners will provide. However, this treatment will only delay the inevitable for a short period of time.

When you apply a patch to denim, you're introducing new and most likely stronger fabric to the garment. As you wear the garment more, the area surrounding the patch will take on additional stress, causing it to wear and eventually tear. Since the fabric of the patch is strong and the surrounding area is most likely weaker, the point of defect usually just moves from the patched tear to the  surrounding area.

While a patch may add some extra life to your garment, it's really just a matter of time until you create more damage to the garment. On the bright side, you can think of this as an opportunity to upgrade to that new pair of denim you had your eye on.

The days are getting shorter and pumpkin lattes are back on the menu, which means it’s time to assemble your autumn wardrobe. The fall season calls for heavier knits, luxurious textures and warmer hues. From transitional pieces to layering accessories, here's our cheat sheet for building a cool weather wardrobe that's always on point.

Invest in basics that aren’t season-specific

The concept of a personal capsule wardrobe was made popular by fashion blogger, Caroline, of Unfancy, whose minimalist style is equal parts polished and practical. The idea is to invest in classic pieces that can be worn year-round, as opposed to buying new clothes each season and succumbing to fast fashion trends. Select a few versatile items—your favorite little black dress, a linen shirt and a great pair of denim for instance—that serve as the foundation of your wardrobe, and can be styled accordingly as the seasons change.

Transition your warm weather pieces with accessories and layers

Accessories are a great way to add warmth to your summer pieces. Men and women can both add wool hats, cashmere scarves and leather boots to update warm weather outfits for fall. Earmuffs and tall socks are trending this fall season, so consider adding these functional pieces to your closet!

Besides accenting your outfit with fall ready pieces, layering is the easiest way to transition summer clothes. For instance, ladies can add a turtleneck and tights to their sun dress, or a blazer and silk scarf to professional attire. For the discerning gentleman, layering a leather jacket or textural cardigan over a chambray top will introduce some thermal comfort without compromising on style. Bright colors are also on trend, so consider adding some splashy wool socks to keep your feet toasty.

When it comes to fall layers and accessories, invest in high quality fabrics like cashmere and wool that can be dressed up or dressed down. These textiles deserve top notch care, and a cleaning professional will keep them looking fresh.

Keep your fall fabrics clean

Taking care of your clothing is key to maintaining a stylish wardrobe. Delicate fabrics such as cashmere can be hand washed in cool water with a gentle laundry soap and then laid flat to dry. You can speed up the drying process by laying a towel underneath the garment.

Wool or leather should be brought to a professional service. Wool can be dry cleaned, but genuine leather can lose natural oils and get damaged when it's exposed to any heat. To keep your leather apparel looking its best, talk to your trusted cleaner, who can connect you with a quality specialty service in town.

Store your summer favorites for the next season

For the warm weather clothes that you do want to retire, get them cleaned before placing them in long-term storage. Putting items away without properly caring for them first may result in damage to delicate fabrics; unresolved stains can set, and lingering scents can attract moths or insects. Wash your items according to the label's instructions with a gentle detergent, then hang or flat dry to maintain the clothing's shape. Finer fabrics such as silk ties or rayon dresses require extra care, so send these items to a dry cleaner for a little TLC before they go into hibernation.

Our care guide on proper clothing storage has got you covered on specific fabrics and storage options. Whether you keep your items hanging in your closet or folded away in storage bins, be sure to choose a cool, dry location so that when next summer rolls around, you can toss these clothes on without worrying about any unsightly stains or damage.

By following these closet cues and expert care tips, you can enjoy watching the leaves change as you sip your apple crisp oatmilk macciato in a stylish autumnal ensemble.

Photos: Sergey Zolkin, Maksim Ladouski / Shutterstock.com, Africa Studio / Shutterstock.com

It happens to the best of us. You open your closet and it’s a total disaster. Clothes on the floor, clothes half hanging on hangers and clothes that look like they’re about to tumble down from the top shelf. It’s time to regain control of your wardrobe space. Proper storage  is key, and by employing these organization tricks, you’ll never be afraid to open your closet doors again.

The components of a tidy closet

A well organized closet has three key characteristics:

1. Contents are organized by category (e.g. tops, bottoms, shoes).
2. All items are color coded within their category.
3. Each category has its own designated space.

Color code your closet

By color coding each category of clothing, you’ll make finding items in your closet much easier. For instance, you can group together garments in similar shades and tones, ordering them from light to dark. When it comes to patterned tops and bottoms, file them based on the dominant color in the garment. Two-toned striped items can be tricky, but as long it makes sense to you, however you choose to order them is your judgement call.

Clothing category tricks

Here’s how to organize and store each category of clothing.

Tops: Blouses, button-downs and jackets
Knit tops and t-shirts can be folded and placed on shelves or hanging closet organizers with shelving—line delicate pieces like cashmere sweaters with acid-free tissue to protect them against moisture or dust. Blouses, button-down shirts, jackets and blazers should be hung on thin velvet hangers to maximize closet space and prevent garments from slipping off.

Bottoms: Pants and skirts

Pants that don’t wrinkle easily (like jeans) can be folded and stored on shelves or hanging closet organizers. Dress pants and skirts should be hung on thin velvet hangers or hangers with clips.

Footwear: Casual and formal shoes

When it comes to a large walk-in closet, a shoe shelf will show off your shoe collection and make it easy to find the footwear you’re looking for. You can also put your shoes in clear polystyrene boxes, which will stack neatly in your closet. Clear boxes ensure that you’ll be able to find your sneakers or heels quicker than keeping them in regular opaque shoe boxes. For smaller closets, you can use shoe racks placed on the closet floor or over-the-door hanging shoe organizers with pockets to slot in each pair.

Accessories: Jewelry, belts and ties

For a large walk-in closet, designate one to two drawers for jewelry, belts and ties. Use drawer organizers to compartmentalize each group of items so you can find the right accessory without fuss. For a small closet, a hanging accessories organizer is your best bet. It can be hung alongside your clothes and has loops to weave ties and belts through. Use hanging organizers with individual small clear slots to store jewelry, bracelets, earrings and necklaces.

Handbags

Socks and underwear

Small items like socks, bras and underwear are best folded and grouped together in drawers and separated with drawer dividers.

Next season’s clothes

Use flat underbed garment boxes to store clothing from last season or the next one. If there’s room on the closet floor, garment boxes can be stacked there or kept underneath the bed. To keep stains and odors from setting in, launder your clothes before storing them for the season—and bring your favored pieces to a professional service for top care. Don’t forget to tuck in some pouches filled with dried lavender to keep your clothes fresh and free of moths. By using these simple tricks, you’re well on your way to creating and sustaining an organized closet that will feel like your own personal boutique.

Photos: All About Space / Shutterstock.com, WorldWide / Shutterstock.com, WorldWide / Shutterstock.com, Maryna Pleshkun / Shutterstock.com

Rinse, Inc., the fastest growing national brand in dry cleaning and laundry delivery, today announced that its service is now available in Chicago. In June, the company announced its plans to expand into at least 10 new cities following its Series B financing; Chicago is the first of those cities to launch. Rinse is looking to hire a robust team of operations personnel and Valets, in addition to partnering with local dry cleaning and wash and fold establishments.

“We are incredibly excited to bring Rinse to Chicago,” said Ajay Prakash, Co-founder and CEO of Rinse. “Our focus has always been on delivering high-quality clothing care for everything in your closet, and we know Chicagoans appreciate convenience that comes without a sacrifice. The initial response from our alpha customers has been fantastic, and we hope to bring that same experience to other customers in Chicago as we grow.”

Rinse started its innovative dry cleaning and laundry delivery service in San Francisco in 2013 and has since expanded into Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and now Chicago. Its mission has been to remove the many points of friction in clothing care and to create a high-quality, consistent, convenient, and reliable experience for customers. Rinse’s technology backbone and smart approach to operations and scheduling enables the company to deliver world-class service.

Devoted to Chicago

Rinse’s Chicago operation is based in Bucktown and the company is looking to expand its local team of operations personnel and Valets, all of whom are W-2 employees. “Rinse Valets and our local operations teams are core to the customer experience,” said Prakash. “As we look to aggressively grow in Chicago, we want all employees to know that they have an important impact on the business.” In addition to hiring local talent, Rinse is focused on establishing partnerships with Chicago cleaning vendors. At a time when traditional dry cleaners and wash and fold establishments have seen business decline, Rinse is looking to partner to drive incremental business beyond the traditional walk-in customer. The company is already working with several local partners and plans to partner with more as demand grows.

About Rinse

Rinse is building the first and largest national (and global) brand in clothing care. It is addressing a massive consumer problem and creating a significantly better (and more standardized) dry cleaning and laundry experience through the combination of "smart scheduling"   and best-in-class quality, all supported by a strong technology backbone that allows it to effectively manage the operational complexity that comes with scale. Its services include Dry Cleaning, Launder & Press, Wash & Fold, Hang Dry, Repairs, Leather Cleaning, and it even takes Clothing Donations. The company was founded by Ajay Prakash and James Joun and is headquartered in San Francisco. To experience Rinse for yourself, please visit www.rinse.com or download the Rinse mobile app (available on iOS or Android).

When we talk about wedding season, we often mean summer, but spring, fall and winter weddings each have their own unique set of charms. As temperatures change, up your fashion game with our wedding guest style guide for this season and the next.

Summer wedding

Warm weather allows for more diverse wedding venues—be it a garden party, a seaside celebration or a traditional church ceremony—making it particularly important to adhere to the appropriate dress code. Cocktail dresses and suits in light hues are popular choices, but you can dress your outfit up with accessories—like a chic summer hat—for an elevated look. Just be sure to keep it simple to avoid stealing the show.

For more casual weddings, experiment with different textures. Jersey, rayon and modal are great options for warm weather weddings if you want to avoid high-maintenance silk. Ladies can opt for sandals with flat heels or wedges to avoid sinking into sand or grass at outdoor venues. For gents, a linen shirt and sport coat with slacks is an easy way to dress summer-appropriate—and you'll absorb less heat through your clothes, which means fewer sweat stains. Complete the laidback look with a pair of boat shoes or loafers.

Care tip: While rayon is easier to care for than silk, this delicate summer fabric still deserves some TLC. Preserve the fabric by following the instructions on the clothing's label. Hand wash with a gentle laundry soap and air dry, or leave it in the care of a cleaning professional to avoid any changes to the fabric.

Fall wedding

There's nothing quite like an October wedding framed by the fall foliage. The crisp weather calls for a layered look in autumnal hues such as camel, olive or burgundy to suit the season. For female guests, full-length gowns are a classic choice for an evening reception, paired with a matching shawl, minaudière or tasseled clutch and satin heels. Men can consider cashmere suits, wool coats and traditional leather shoes. You may want to visit a tailor for a custom suit fitting, or purchase your suit separates from a store that offers alterations.

Care tip: To preserve the rich tones of your dress or suit, be sure to visit a professional dry cleaning service before the wedding. Wool, which will start to make an appearance in autumn, is a particularly tricky fabric to store. Make sure to pack woolens in an airtight plastic bag to keep the moths away. For more clothing storage tips, see our in-depth closet guide.

Winter wedding

While it might seem difficult to stay chic in the cold, winter weddings are glamorous when done right. Women can layer fur—be it faux or the real thing—or a cashmere coat over a satin dress for added warmth. For something more casual, consider a heavy-knit cardigan over silk for a practical yet complementary look. Male guests can elevate their two-piece suit with a vest or sweater. Pairing cashmere ties with a wool suit can help you stay put together as the temperature drops.

Not sure of what shoes to wear in the snow? Go with a pair of stylish snow boots when you're outside, and then swap them out with your planned formal footwear once you're indoors. If there's no snow, stick to your go-to pumps—which will look seasonally appropriate when paired with opaque wool tights—or Oxfords.

Care tip: The winter season means more chances of rain and snow, so weatherproof your shoes with a protective spray. If you've opted for fur or faux fur details, be sure to follow proper washing instructions after the event. Faux fur can be cleaned at home with cool water and a gentle detergent for no more than 10 to 15 minutes, while the authentic alternative needs professional care.

Spring wedding

Spring calls for floral fabrics that channel the season's jouissance. When choosing a dress, look for one with a minimalist design and geometric cuts—a subtle side slit gives your dress movement without revealing too much—and choose a light layering option, like a shawl or an oversized blazer, for an easy transition into cooler evenings. Top it off with a pair of heels or sandals, depending on the venue. For the discerning gentleman, suiting up in lighter hues such as charcoal or cream works well for the breezy season, and a pair of brogues with colorful socks will add a nice finishing touch.

Care tip: An umbrella can help keep your clothes mostly dry from an unexpected spring shower, but your shoes might come in contact with wet grass or mud at an outdoor wedding. A cloth (or paper towel) dipped in cold water can take care of most stains, but if your formal footwear is made of a sensitive fabric like suede, be sure to visit a professional cleaner afterward.

Dressing for weddings in every season doesn't have to be difficult. In fact, it's a good excuse to show that your creativity and unique sense of style persist, rain or shine.

Invited to a destination wedding? Our guide will help you choose and care for the right guest attire so you can show up in style.

Photos: Popovartem, Ivan, Clem Onojeghuo, V_Lisovoy, Shardayyy

When my co-founder James and I started Rinse in 2013, the “on-demand” economy was starting to emerge.

VCs were excited to find the next Uber and companies were launching on-demand services in all verticals imaginable (more broadly known as “Uber for X” companies). Fast forward to today where a few companies have found success with the on-demand model, but many more have struggled. In the past several months, we’ve seen a handful of well-funded startups with strong teams either going through layoffs or shutting down entirely. The natural question to ask is why?

The short answer is that “on-demand” is not the optimal solution for most customer needs.

Clothing care: The case for “smart scheduling” vs. “on-demand”

The announcement a few months back that Washio was shutting down led many to ask the question: “Is on-demand dry cleaning and laundry dead?” The answer is…yes. In fact, on-demand dry cleaning and laundry has been doomed from the start. Any consumer business that optimizes its business model around an edge case, and ignores the primary pain points of its customer, is destined to struggle.
Clothing care is no exception.

At Rinse, our approach from the beginning has been needs-focused and solution-agnostic. The challenge in 2013 when Rinse, Washio, and Prim were getting started, was that just about every new venture assumed that on-demand was the solution for the consumer problem they were trying to solve. But the reality is that none of the pain points in dry cleaning, laundry, or any other form of clothing care require an on-demand solution.

Uber solves an important acute pain point. When you need a taxi, you need it now. Offering an on-demand solution removes that friction and meets the immediate demands of the customer. Rinse is solving an important chronic pain point. Customers need their clothes cleaned in a recurring and predictable pattern and almost unanimously prefer high-quality cleaning and great service over speed and urgency.

Quality is the most important component in clothing care to earning a customer’s trust. On-demand emphasizes speed and faster turnaround times and comes at the expense of quality, because items are pushed through the cleaning process too quickly.

Smart scheduling, which is what we have developed at Rinse, prioritizes quality over speed. It optimizes turnaround time for each service type to ensure we always provide the highest-quality clothing care. In addition, our consistent pickup and delivery times are well-aligned with our customers’ schedules, which has led Rinse to become a regular part of our customers’ weekly routines.

Our focus on “smart scheduling” has helped us create a high-quality clothing care platform with best-in-class retention. Our customers love us and they keep coming back. Our Net Promoter Score (NPS) for regular customers is in the 50’s, in an industry where negative NPS is common.

Smart scheduling has also positioned us well for future expansion. We aren’t held to a rigid 24-hour turnaround time, so we will continue to extend our services to address every item in your closet (including Shoe Repair, Tailoring, Alterations). Our model addresses universal pain points and will work in big cities and suburbs alike. The extra time we’ve dedicated to high-quality cleaning has also allowed us to collect robust brand data. We plan to use that data to create a platform that manages the entire life cycle of your closet, helping you procure new clothes and retire existing clothes.

Other verticals where “on-demand” might not make sense

The success and prominence of Uber and Lyft  has led to “on-demand” services across all verticals, but based on the customer’s pain points, that might not be the best approach. Below are a few examples.

House Cleaning

In 2013 (when we were starting Rinse), Handy, Homejoy, and Exec were the big names in “on-demand” house cleaning. The space has received significant investment interest and media attention, and also featured one of the more prominent shut downs we’ve seen in the “on-demand” economy.

If we look directly at the customer pain point, it’s chronic and recurring in nature, meaning smart scheduling makes more sense than on-demand. In fact, if you look closer at Handy, the only one in the list above still operating today, you will see they are not on-demand. Their sign up flow currently asks you to choose between a weekly or bi-weekly plan and they default to a cleaning date that’s a few days away.

Storage

Storage is another vertical that has received investment interest in the past few years. Companies like Clutter, Makespace, and Omni have received funding to tackle the pain points of storage in different ways. Omni brands itself as “on-demand storage and delivery” and takes a different angle than Clutter, which appears to focus more on a scheduled approach. From an outsider’s perspective, self-storage comes with significant friction, but it’s rarely acute.

Car Washes

On-demand car washes gained prominence a few years back when Cherry launched, raised capital, and then shut down shortly thereafter. All that happened before we started Rinse, but almost four years later there are still companies trying to tackle this consumer pain point with an on-demand solution (including Washos, Squeegy,and Wype). I’m not the target customer (my car has needed a car wash for a while and I haven’t done anything about it), but the need for on-demand service here feels like an extreme edge case. In addition, although the service is recurring in nature, purchase frequency is limited.

There are still large consumer problems to be solved here

There has been commentary around startups in the broader “on-demand” economy catering to the lazy or the wealthy. Although some companies may have that target customer in mind, the reality is there are significant consumer problems to be solved.

Clothing care is a service that everyone needs. It represents a huge market that Rinse is actively expanding by making it more accessible and affordable to use. This leads to more customers and more frequent use by each customer (we estimate an overall market opportunity of $20–40B). It’s also a highly fragmented industry (the top 5 players have less than 2% market share) run primarily by small shops that vary dramatically in quality, pricing, and service. We are standardizing that solution and delivering quality through technology and execution.

House cleaning, storage, car washes, and most of the services that have “on-demand” options today, are all large markets as well, meaning there is a consumer need for the core services being offered. The question each company has to answer is how are they improving the existing customer experience and what pain points are they addressing.

Consumer service companies are difficult to build. On the demand side, they are often dealing with personal items from each customer, meaning expectations are always high. On the supply side, operational complexity increases significantly with scale. Given that, it’s critical that companies choose wisely up front when addressing consumer pain points and making core business model decisions. If the pain point is acute, “on-demand” might make sense. If the pain point is chronic, which is the case for most companies, a focus on “smart scheduling” and quality is almost always a better approach.

Special thanks to TechCrunch for publishing an excerpt of the above article.