Most of us never think about the origins of the most widely used tools we interact with every day and the coat hanger is no exception. The wire coat hanger actually started out as a door hook before resembling the hangers we use today. Coat hangers on the surface seem like such a simple invention but how did the creator of the hanger actually envision the coat hanger?

The idea for the coat hanger actually started with a hook on the wall that was used to hold coats. Albert J. Parkhouse was working for a wire manipulating company at the time, Timberlake Wire and Novelty Co. Jackson, Mississippi. Frustrated by the lack of hooks on the wall to hold jackets, Albert decided to invent an apparatus that that could solve their problem of two many jackets and not enough hooks by bending a piece of wire into a hook at the top with two oval sides. With this simple invention the coat hanger was born.

Then in 1932 an improved design for the hanger was patented by Schuyler Hulett. The hanger used cardboard cylinders that were mounted one on the top and one on the bottom to prevent pants from wrinkling. This design is still in use today mostly for disposable hangers used by dry cleaners.

The coat hanger began to evolve over the years with plastic hangers being the hanger of choice for most American households. Plastic hangers keep their form and also have a greater circumference for the clothes to rest, aiding in keeping your clothes wrinkle free. Clothes hanger designs vary from wooden hangers used in many high end clothing stores to the cardboard and metal mixed hangers that you find at your local dry cleaner.

Retail stores make up a large part of many hanger manufacturers’ business so they pay special attention to the style of hangers. For example the hanger with clips at the top to hold clothes in suspension was invented solely because retail stores needed a hanger that could display an outfit in it’s entirety. Although we don’t think about the hanger much it has become a staple for dry cleaners and people alike that want to keep their clothes formed and wrinkle free. So long live the coat hanger!