As seen in Jumeirah Magazine 2008
A bespoke company in New York offers the perfect clothing solutions for when space becomes the final frontier in your wardrobe. Jumeirah learns a better way to pack its bags.
When you’re a billionaire global nomad zipping between New York, London and Dubai often spending weeks in each, the last thing you want to worry about is whether your couture is going to get crumpled or your Savile Row ripped.
Fret not dear fashionistas. Thanks to US company Garde Robe Online you could basically duplicate the Western European wardrobe you keep in London (and Dubai for that matter) and let this innovative firm do the rest. Alternatively, buy a completely new wardrobe designed just for New York.
The way the concept works is simplicity itself. Rather than letting your clothes clutter your wardrobes at home or you panic over designer-wear crumple zones in arrival luggages, let Garde Robe empty your apartment/mansion/villa of all those limited edition dresses and bespoke shoes, photograph them for their digital database and catalogue each item.
The company then whisks them away to be carefully stored in ‘cotton garment bags,’ ‘acid-free tissue’ or ‘breathable archive boxes’ in a very fashionable New York loft space that is completely climate controlled, extensively insured and packed to the rafters with high-tech security.
Then, before you arrive in New York, you search across your newly formed online database of clothes, shoes and accessories, ask for them to be delivered to your hotel at a certain time and voila! When you arrive in your Essex House suite overlooking Central Park, your clothes are waiting for you in all their freshly pressed glory.
Adam Gilvar, president of the company, says that many of his clients store their off-season wardrobes with Garde Robe because space is at such a premium in New York. He knows what he’s talking about. It was a similar domestic storage dilemma that prompted him to set up his business. “I used to store my off-season clothes at the dry cleaners, but I often lost track of what was stored and what was in the closet at home,” says Gilvar. “I also wasn’t comfortable with my wife’s delicate outfits and expensive evening wear being stored in less than desirable conditions in a warehouse somewhere. Garde Robe was born out of sheer necessity.”
Of course, the service is not simply limited to jet-setting fashionistas and the Hollywood A-list. Harassed trans-Atlantic executives who don’t need the hassle of airports, lost luggage and extra baggage to handle are also heavy users of the Garde Robe service.
The company has also naturally diversified into cleaning and repair, as well as professional ‘customised’ advice on wardrobe organisation and efficiency, in addition to luggage-packing services. In both cases professional clothes experts will visit your home and show you how to get the most out of your wardrobe/travel truck. And, should you need them, there are herds of professional Garde Robe image consultants, personal shoppers and stylists constantly on hand who can’t wait to get their finely manicured fingers on your new look should you ever arrive in town in a dishevelled hurry.
Prices for Garde Robe services start at $350 a month which feature one ‘rack’ of 50 garments, a large ‘canvas breathable box’ for accessories and 10 shoe boxes. That’s your clothes entry point, there is actually no limit to the amount of clothes, bags and shoes you can store with the company. “Garde Robe is much more than simply a storage facility,” says Gilvar. “Essentially, it is similar to having a personal wardrobe valet, only more affordable and technologically advanced. Image travelling without packing or unpacking, lugging heavy suitcases or waiting in over-crowded baggage areas.” Yes imagine! Now with Garde Robe aiming to set up another base in Tokyo, as well as potentially other cities around the world, you may never have to use a storage room service laundry again. What a relief.