National Clothesline
NY cleaner helps charity with Fashion Week designer gowns
Every year, fashion junkies and habberdashers worldwide pay special heed to the
glittering gowns and dazzling designer dresses that debut during New York’s Fashion Week.
But what happens when the larger-than-life galas come to an end?
All those expensive, beautiful garments need to be cleaned. Needless to say, the
bill does not come cheaply; but one New York cleaner thought it would it be
nice if some of the proceeds were funneled back into charity.
Jeeves of Belgravia, which was originally founded in 1969 and named after the famous “gentleman’s personal gentleman” created by P.G. Wodehouse, has always maintained a reputation as a high end
cleaning boutique. Now, the company plans to use those skills for charity.
Jeeves’ “Fashion Clean for Charity” drive officially launched during Fashion Week in early September and the
company will donate a portion of the cleaning bill for any garment worn at a
fundraising appearance to that client’s chosen charity. The fundraising drive will last until the end of the Fall
social season in New York.
“Instead of us buying a ticket, for example, to the Operation Smile event and
going and just doing the one, this enables us to give to all the same places
our customers are giving,” noted Managing Director Jerry Pozniak.
A portion of the proceeds could turn out to be quite hefty since Jeeves spends a
lot of time cleaning such garments and charges appropriately.
“A gown at Jeeves starts at $249 and goes up from there, depending on how
complicated the dress is,” Pozniak added. “It could be $750 or higher. Each dress is looked at as an individual and then we
price it accordingly depending on how much labor has to go into it. A lot of
what we do never goes into a drycleaning machine. It’s hours and hours and hours of hand labor.”
By mid-September, the company had only received a small number of gowns to clean
so far, but Pozniak believes that number will go up after Fashion Week
concludes and the charity balls begin. For more information, visit
www.jeevesny.com.
NCA seminars on marketing, stain approval
Looking ahead at the remainder of National Cleaners Association’s 2012 educational schedule, there are still a few classes yet to come.
On Wednesday, Oct. 10 in Boston, there will be a morning class on “Marketing, Mail and More” and an afternoon offering of “Harnessing the Power of Local and Social Facebook.”
The programs will take place again in Nanuet, NY on Sunday, Oct. 14. The cost is
$59 each for members and $99 each for non-members.
Also coming up is an eight-hour combination course that will focus on stain
removal and intensive bleaching. It is set to take place from 8:30 a.m. to 5
p.m. in the Bronx.
Tuition is $250 for members and $350 for non-members.
In the following month, NCA has planned a seven-hour course on “Technical Training at the Counter for Customer Service Reps” from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 18 in Nanuet, NY.
The cost is $250 for members and $350 for non-members.
For more information or to register for any of NCA’s upcoming seminars, contact them at (212) 967-3002.
