The Next Must Have Fashion Accessory? Steamers

Style Starts With Steam

I hate Ironing. Surely I’m not alone in despising the necessary evil that blights the lives of all those who enjoy a fine trouser pleat or the finish of a crisp white shirt? Perhaps that’s why winter is such an easy time to dress; knits and denim come straight out of the wardrobe and straight on – creases optional. I don’t like working out which dial is the right heat setting for my clothes; I hate the fact that an ironing board takes up a vast amount of space in my living room (space that I’m sure could be used to store something else much more useful. Like shoes), and please don’t get me started on trying to decipher the little symbols on the sartorial ball and chain.

Like many men across the globe, I’ve bowed to the demands of the ‘ironing pile’ – that mound of clothes in the corner of the room, full of creases and rarely worn because of them. It’s an utter mystery to me that someone hasn’t come up with a better way of ensuring gents can look their best without all the aforementioned hassle. Until now.

Get ready to chuck out your iron and its board and replace it with an Fridja steamer. Steamers; previously the chunky, ugly and industrial looking reserve of those who work in fashion (cupboards), have been given a sleek and sexy makeover. Currently taking the commercial fashion world by storm, Fridja now has it’s sights set on the wardrobe of every guy in town.

You’ll be in good company ditching your iron and styling with steam instead; zeitgeist East London Meccas ‘The Laden Show Rooms’ and ‘Wah!’ have got their hands on Fridja’s goods – as have Christopher Kane, House of Holland and Gareth Pugh. The steamers have even gone prime time (they’re used by Celeb super stylist Grace Woodward on the X Factor) and hi-brow (the Barbican centre uses them to ensure fashion exhibits appear seamless).

So steaming has been the fashion industry’s secret for years and it’s about to go globally domestic to fashion followers the world over. Not having to navigate buttons and zips is a dream and you can use the steamers on any fabric, so no more worrying about heat settings, plus steaming is easy on the wallet too as it reduces the need for dry cleaning.

On top of the practical and aesthetic advantages there is another distinct plus that will please every fashionable guy around – steaming takes less than half the time of ironing. That means more timing wearing your clothes and less time wishing your mum still did your laundry.

Editor Addition

So, have any of you readers actually used a steamer or own one? I am very tempted at getting my hands on one myself at this price because obviously the benefits of just hanging clothes up and steaming them is appealing. Surely the fashion world must get it right? I have heard opinions are very much divided on steamers as a whole and would love to get your thoughts on whether these are going to become another must have for the modern male, or just a flash in the pan which is designed only for the professional fashion industry?

From The Experts

Peggy from Fridja kindly left some great tips in the comments below so I have now included them here for all to see:

Shirts and Trousers

• Hang the shirt up. Instead of wafting the hose and head aimlessly around like a hand held Russell Brand, iron out the creases by going from the top of each arm towards the cuff. Imagine getting air bubbles out from under a freshly laminated piece of card. Use the hand ironing mat for support. On the front of the shirt, use the steamer head behind the buttons, not in between them, to make an easy glide down the shirt in seconds.
• Hang the trousers up. Use the trouser clasp attachment and glide the steamer head down the front and back crease, giving a crisp finish. Follow up with steaming the flat bit. Sharpen up the cuff (bit next to shoe) with a touch of steam, et voila!

Small mini tips

• Clothes damp? You haven’t let the steamer heat up enough, leave it for 45 seconds or there will be some water that hasn’t turned to steam as yet. If you are truly in a hurry, wipe the steamer head first to remove excess moisture!
• All Saints Clothes? Pretty much all of our stylists go to All Saints. Have a read in our blogs about them. If you are feeling lazy, just look at the X Factor contestants and how see how many All Saints clothes there are in there, because All Saints are awesome. I have no doubt that we could steam anything All Saints threw at us (one item at a time please).
• Asymmetric shapes? Neither us at Fridja, nor our steamer discriminate against clothes in different shapes and sizes, we all make the world go round. The shape of a garment will only affect the way it hangs from a hanger, and so might need readjusting mid steam to expose the creases, just like moving it on an ironing board. There is no way that a garment’s shape can affect the steamer’s performance.

The Fridja Collection