Next Tie Hanger

Revolutionary tie hanger adds style and saves money.

Next wanted to design a combined transportation and presentation solution for its vast range of ties - one which would be cost-effective to transport from the manufacturer but also improve on traditional flat hanger and cellophane wrapper which creased the ties and made them look flat and uninspiring and also cost the company in man hours to hang them on the hanger in store. We were given an open brief.

So we totally disregarded the previous design and started with a blank sheet of paper, taking a totally different approach. Our first priority was to minimise the creasing of the tie during transportation, so we developed a hanger bar which slid into a protective cover - ideal for branding purposes. A small tab in the bar held the tie in place and prevented narrow ties from slipping, while the hanger's angled sides allowed the hangers to nestle into each other while on a rail, optimising stock density.

After a highly successful store trial the patented design went into full production. For the past two years, the company has used the solution to transport and present every tie in its UK stores. That's over four million ties to date!

The ability to brand the tie hanger has also meant there are now many different versions used in the business in different coloured plastics with different branding designs.