Posts tagged couture cleaning

Sudsies Uncovers Gem Designer Picks… Right In Our Backyard

Designers in South Florida

As South Florida’s top luxury dry cleaner, we at Sudsies appreciate great fashion talent. We also love our community and the people that make Miami the “Magic City.” So, we thought we’d combine two of our favorite things and highlight some local designers who are, or who we predict will soon be, turning heads across the globe.

Contemporary I

Transparency is always a good thing, especially when it comes to fashion. And Viviana Gabieras (Vivian G) is superior when it comes to luxury knits and stretch fabrics. Her line, Petiti Pois, fuses everything Miami – wild prints, vibrant colors, spicy silhouettes – with a mastery that captures attention without overwhelming. In fact, we could say her work captures the best of best worlds in a lot of aspects. Her pieces make for statement staples on their own or can be combined for a powerful look and effortlessly transfer from day to night… All are proudly made in the USA via her manufacturing company in Miami, FL.

Through her work in design, humanitarianism and mentorship, Vivian G has a loyal following not only among Miamians. Television personalities, supermodels, actresses have all sizzled in her design; among them Shakira. Need we say more?

 

Contemporary II

With his clothes in more than 500 boutiques, Julian Chang has grown his brand worldwide, but he’s still Miami’s darling designer. His designs send strong statements with taste. Landscape prints, graphic patterns, and vibrant colors cascaded down the body with ease. Even Chang’s simpler separates make for great basic pieces, but with a fashionable edge.

Chang also specializes in evening wear, as well as custom creations for his celebrity clientele, including Brittany Spears and Gloria Estefan. He claims that his garments merely outline the style within each its wearers. This may be the case, but then it should be noted that his works always seem to bring out their confident side.

 

Red Carpet/Black Tie

Miami is filled with highly-talked about affairs – social extravaganzas, that is – and Nicolas Felizola is the designer to covet. Described as a modern Renaissance Man, Felizola draws from a range of intellectual and art forms, adding photographer and attorney-at-law among his list of practices. As a fashion designer, he’s known among the “Best Designer[s] of Miami Week”, “Universal Excellence Award” winner, and Forbes’ listee of ten influential Hispanic designers in the US.

His designs are clean, yet architecturally interesting with origami-like silhouettes or unique patterns created within his selection of lux fabrics. Collections include red carpet-worthy dresses, bridal gowns, and a men’s line of sleek suits that any woman wouldn’t mind placing their arm upon.

Designer Natalya Eberjey

Swimwear

When you live in Miami, swimwear quickly becomes a wardrobe staple too. Russian-native, Canadian-raised Natalie Toporova quickly embraced beachside fashion, launching and running with her namesake collection based out of Miami. Bold lines and unexampled cutouts challenge the traditional bikini, fusing fashion with athleticism, and a touch of Bond-girl appeal. Custom suit creations are also available to best highlight favorite features… and creatively flatter those that are not.

 

Lingerie

Fashion versus function is perhaps never more apparent when if comes to intimate apparel. No matter how much accumulated, stylized lace and satins remain dormant in drawers in lieu of the go-to comfy, albeit dowdy, favorites. Co-designers Ali Mejia and Mariela Rovito set out to create a line that would flatter women’s bodies, yet feel good against their skin too. Since 1996, their brand Eberjey has been doing just that. Starting with the Boy Short, Eberjey has conquered one part of the body at a time with thongs, bralets, camis, pajamas, and loungewear that defined girly-sexy-comfy style. Lush fabrics delicately cling to the skin, while touches of perfectly-laid lace seamlessly contour the body’s curves.

Eberjey has since expanded its soft, feminine style with a swimwear line, but even more enticing is its darling Girls Mini swim line of suits trimmed in delicate ruffles.

 

Rugsies’ Bonus Picks: Furniture Design

 

B. Pila Design

As an interior designer, Bea Pila uses space as her model to convey her clients’ personal style. The hallmark of her work is custom-like pieces and other one-of-a-kind finds that are not only beautiful, but inspire use and enjoyment. But uncovering these unique pieces wasn’t always easy. In fact, it was sometimes impossible.  This prompted her to expand into furniture design to fill in these missing gaps.

Thus began her game of Hide & Seek, a furnishing and accessory collection highlighting vintage acrylic in unexpected ways. Organic-meets-glamour with cushions of hair-on-hides combined with the sleek lines of acrylic and chrome, while heavy woods and mirrored tabletops seemingly float from their translucent bases. What we really love about this line is the high fashion-inspired details, as seen in the leather straps with stitching and metal accents via buckles and end caps. The results are striking statement pieces for the home that somehow fit in with any design environment.

 

Michael Wolk Design Associates

Michael Wolk sees no differentiation between art and furniture design. With a formal education in painting and sculpture before focusing on industrial design, he claims to use the exact same processes across all three mediums in bringing a vision to life. Furniture just happens to have the functionality. As with any artist, Wolk finds inspiration all around when creating his pieces – noting that a simple landscape hedge was the impetus for his signature Miami Chair. With vast experience, technology, and drive, Wolk’s team has evolved into master technicians in supporting an idea with the highest quality materials, processes, and form. The result is a portfolio of pieces that are clean, yet stylized…. we’d call them utilitarian sculptures.

 

As you seek out these local gems, remember that Sudsies specializes in the cleaning and care of all types of clothing, including couture & designer labels, bridal, hand-sewn pieces and other delicate items. Our sister company, Rugsies, cares for the “garments of your home” with upholstery, drapery and rug cleaning, including stain removal services.

The Cloth Behind the Clothes: Part Two – LEATHER

In continuation of our Fall Fashion Fabric Guide series, we now bring our attention to leather.  A stand-alone statement piece or used in a hybrid form with other fabrics, leather was this year’s “it” material.  Leather is traditionally associated with a biker or rocker vibe, but this season, designers quilted it, used as trim or paneling, and fashioned into sleek silhouettes to present it in a more sophisticated light.

Care Cautions:

  • This material is an animal hide, not derived and woven from plant materials; therefore is prone to some imperfections.  A leather tanner will treat and color the materials to hide much of these imperfections, but over time, these treatments will wear away, re-exposing them, much in the same manner that makeup covers up blemishes but wears off over the course of the day.
  • Many professional cleaners recommend recoloring after cleaning to replace the finish that is naturally lost over time.
  • With leather and suede, it’s especially important to store in a cool place over the summer months.  Hides will stiffen from heat and humidity.  These materials are also more susceptible to moth damage.  That being said, never store in plastic, for this will only trap in heat and moisture.  A muslin cover stored indoors is the best alternative.

In case you missed it, check out the other Fall Fashion Fabrics in this Series by clicking here:  Part One – Knits.

Sudsies Bubbles Over: Second Location in North Miami

Sudsies Dry Cleaners & Laundry has announced the expansion of its services with the opening of a second location in North Miami. Located at 12711 Biscayne Boulevard, the 8,000 sq ft space will act as both a customer storefront and processing facility. Coupled with its original location in Miami Beach, Sudsies offerings span Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

“We’re continually striving to enhance the quality of our work, and this new location helps us do just that,” says Founder and President Jason Loeb. “Now, our customers can expect and enjoy even more services and faster response times.”

With the location expansion also comes the expansion of the Sudsies team. Its fleet of vans offering free pick-up and delivery is expected to double in size to reach all corners of the South Florida market.  New cleaning experts and equipment bring with them new operational and managerial techniques to increase production capacity and turnaround times. While primarily a processing facility, a storefront component allows for customer pickup, drop-off, alterations and general cleaning consultations. Both Sudsies locations incorporate EPA-sanctioned green cleaning initiatives including wet cleaning processes, gentle detergents, water-conserving machinery and recyclable hangers and packaging.

Sudsies’ many core services include eco-friendly dry cleaning, laundry, alterations, restoration and preservation, couture work, on-site home cleaning and complimentary pick-up and delivery across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. High-tech facilities, in-depth skills and expertise and customer convenience are a part of the Sudsies S.M.I.L.E. mantra to provide friendly, impacting experiences for its clientele. More information about Sudsies and its many offerings can be found at www.sudsies.com or by phoning 1.888.898.SUDS (7837).

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Sudsies Dry Cleaners & Laundry Announces Expansion of Environmentally-Friendly Cleaning Systems

Clothing at Sudsies Dry Cleaners & Laundry will take on an even greener tone.  The South Florida-based dry cleaner announced the expansion of its environmentally-friendly cleaning department with the most recent high-performance equipment and agents.  These processes mainly incorporate Professional Wet Cleaning and Hydrocarbon Cleaning, cited by the Toxic Use Reduction Institute (TURI) in Massachusetts as among the top alternatives to traditional perc dry cleaning systems that better support environmental and consumer health.

“It’s not easy being green, but it’s among our top priorities here at Sudsies,” says Founder and President Jason Loeb.  “We’re constantly exploring new and improved ways to impart the biggest impact on our clientele with cleaner, better-looking garments, while having the least impact on the environment.”

Professional Wet Cleaning is an alternative process incorporating biodegradable detergents, texture enhancers and specialized finishing equipment.  According the recent TURI report, the method does not emit hazardous air pollutants and requires the lowest electricity usage of all garment cleaning options.  Additional key environmental organizations including Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Green Peace, and Sierra Club Green Home deem wet cleaning as the most eco-friendly solution.  While the technology isn’t the newest of the perc dry cleaning alternatives and has its limitations, it has evolved with significant improvements to its effectiveness and safety.  New cleaning solutions and computer controlled conditions are gentler on fabrics, helping to maintain the integrity of the garment and a new-like appearance.

Despite wet cleaning benefits, there is still no single cleaning process that is perfect for all types of clothing.  To best provide high-quality effectiveness across the vast range of its in-bound clothing, Sudsies has also incorporated Hydrocarbon Cleaning to its arsenal of green alternatives.  This second innovation does not rely on any Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-classified hazardous air pollutants to function and is recommended by the agency’s Design for Environment Program.  Sudsies’ hydrocarbon technology is especially suited for fragile articles, vintage wears, and intricate couture pieces, all of which are core specialities for the company.

Eco-friendly initiatives are part of Sudsies’ care trifecta for its clients, clothes and environment.  The dry cleaner’s full-service offerings include dry and wet cleaning, laundry, alterations, restoration services, vintage and couture care, bridal gown preservation and on-site home cleaning.  Customer convenience is further enhanced with complimentary personal pick-up and delivery to all locations across Miami-Dade and Broward counties, as well as nationally via a Sudsies Express Mail service that cleans and ships garments across the United States.

More information about Sudsies and its offerings can be found at www.sudsies.com or by phoning 1.888.898.SUDS (7837).

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Sudsies Takes Competition to the Cleaners, Captures #1 Spot in WPLG Local 10 Top 10

The people have spoken!  Sudsies Dry Cleaners & Laundry is officially South Florida’s most beloved dry cleaner as the category winner in the 2013 WPLG Local 10 Top 10.  The television station granted the company the top ranking following a dynamic voting campaign conducted through the station’s website and social media outlets.  Sudsies offers a full range of clothing and specialty item services across Miami-Dade and Broward counties, including complimentary pick-up and delivery to its clientele’s location of choice.

“This is such a great honor,” says Founder and President Jason Loeb of the results.  “We’ve developed a great team that is truly dedicated to quality of work and above-and-beyond service.  It’s wonderful to see that our customers are responding enthusiastically to our efforts.”

 

Founded in 1996, Sudsies has been a pioneer in the industry, becoming South Florida’s first fully-mobile dry cleaner.  The company has expanded its services over the years to meet every customer need including environmentally-friendly dry cleaning, laundry, alterations, restoration and preservation, as well as care of couture garments, wedding gowns and other specialty items.  Most recently, Sudsies opened a second processing facility in North Miami and enhanced its customer convenience even further by offering Sudsies Express Mail services across the United States.

High-tech facilities, in-depth skills and expertise, and customer convenience are part of the Sudsies S.M.I.L.E. mantra to provide friendly, impacting experiences for its clients.  Both locations incorporate EPA-sanctioned green cleaning initiatives including wet cleaning processes, gentle detergents, water-conserving machinery and recyclable hangers and packaging.

More information about Sudsies and its many offerings can be found at www.sudsies.com or by phoning 1.888.898.SUDS (7837).

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Going the Distance: Sudsies Launches Express Mail Service for Loyal Clients Nationwide

 

MIAMI, FL — Well-heeled travelers and part-time South Florida residents no longer have to despair about clean clothes when outside the Sunshine State.  Sudsies Dry Cleaners & Laundry has announced that it will now offer Sudsies Express, whereby clients can mail their garments to the dry cleaner for care and return.  Sudsies Express is offered throughout the United States and includes all services – including cleaning, alterations, restoration and more – at regular pricing, plus the cost of shipping.

“Local or long-distance, we aim to make all our customer relationships a success,” says Founder and President Jason Loeb.  “We added Sudsies Express to help assure that clients and their garments will get our reliable service, no matter where their travels take them.”

The process is simple.  Customers enclose a special care form, found on the the company’s website, with their garments and mail them to the North Miami facility address, where the Sudsies team cares for the items and places them freshly pressed in a garment box for return.  While all services are offered via Sudsies Express, Loeb adds that it is particularly appealing for clients with designer or couture labels, garments in need of restoration or damage repair, or vintage pieces given the cleaners’ expertise and superior capabilities in working with specialty garments.  Another key user group are customers preparing to return to South Florida.  Instead of packing, they can ship their garments to Sudsies for a cleaning, followed by direct, complimentary delivery to their South Florida residence at the date and time of preference.

Sudsies continues to add offerings that enhance its quality of service and convenience for its clientele.  The company’s many core options include eco-friendly dry cleaning, laundry, alterations, restoration and preservation, couture work, on-site home cleaning and complimentary pick-up and delivery across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.  More information about Sudsies can be found at www.sudsies.com or by phoning 1.888.898.SUDS (7837).

 

About Sudsies Dry Cleaners & Laundry

Miami-based Sudsies is full-service dry cleaning company dedicated to clean clothes, clean service and a clean environment. An industry pioneer for South Florida home pick-up and delivery services, the Sudsies fleet of bubbly, blue and yellow vans offer prompt service to every nook and corner across the tri-county area, while a team of highly-trained specialists care for garments and customers with a smile. The vast range of services includes ecological dry cleaning and laundry processes, alterations and tailoring, clothing restoration, bridal gown storage or alteration and knowledge of specialty items such as couture garments. At Sudsies, customers look and feel their best, while sister company Rugsies Carpet & Drapery ensures customers live in their best with on-site home or office cleaning for carpets, drapes furniture and other home items. For more information about Sudsies, please call 1.888.898.SUDS (7837) or visit www.sudsies.com.
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Hanging Tough . . .

I recently read an article that detailed the world’s most expensive clothing hanger. For $460, you get a birch-wood plywood mold with your selection from an array of designs across the lower rod area. You’d have to be a pretty serious, and wealthy, fashionista to invest in that.

While not as extravagant, we at Sudsies think our hangers are pretty nifty too. Forget wimpy wires, your clothes will hang happily upon return from our facility. The blue coating is safe on fabric, while the speciality design ensures no wearing or warping around the shoulder area. For slippery garments, our plastic hangers have built-in fasteners, while our wide shoulder design option supports heavier pieces to prevent any sagging.

Even Mother Nature loves our packaging, which is made completely from recyclable material. Furthermore, we provide recycling assistance for the hangers (if you’re willing to part with them) – simply return the items to our facility, or place with your next Sudsies order for complimentary pick-up.

While your clothing may not command a $460 hanger, they do deserve to be perched on quality hangers that preserve their look and overall life. For more information about our many laundry and dry cleaning services, visit us at www.sudsies.com.

Clean Tip from Sudsies:  Once your dry cleaning order is returned safe and sound, remove the plastic covering before placing back in closet to prevent any humidity moisture from building up and getting locked inside, which can cause damage to your favorite items over time. Good news, Sudsies protective coverings are made of recyclable materials too!

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Dry Cleaning. Give your clothes a second life.

seamstressWe all know that times have been tough for a while now. And with all the downsizing and belt-tightening going on across the country, shopping and consuming habits have shifted – in some cases, dramatically.

Take clothing sales, for example. In the second quarter of 2009, the TJX Companies (the parent of discounters Marshalls and T.J. Maxx) reported a rise in both sales and profits. On the other hand, Saks, the parent of Saks Fifth Avenue, slid down in both categories. So as you can see, all those belts are now getting tightened around much more affordable pants.

Of course, there’s little sense in belaboring or dwelling on all these changes (clothing and otherwise). In the words of a great anonymous American philosopher…It is what it is.

What we can do is find ways to help make what we do have go a little bit further. And share those nuggets of information with one another.

Forming a search party to scour the cluttered racks of Marshalls for fresh new arrivals is one way to do this. But there’s also another approach you can take – restoring your own damaged or discarded clothes. After all, why deal with the guilt and pressure of spending big (or medium) money on new clothes if you can spend even less money to breathe a “second life” into the clothes that already hang (often sadly) in your closet?

Clothing restoration just so happens to be one of Sudsies’ specialty services. Mildew stains on your old leather jacket. Smoke damage on that once-favorite dress of yours. Fraying around the collar of your favorite golf shirt. Damage from another dry cleaner. We can address all of these issues and more with our clothing restoration services and on-site tailor and seamstress. We even use a state-of-the-art odor treatment process to get rid of any “old” or just plain “ugly” smells that may be hanging out back there with your neglected clothing (misery loves company).

If you’ve had clothes damaged due to natural disasters like hurricanes, floods, or fires, we can help you itemize your clothing restoration billing in a format that’s easily accepted by insurance companies. Just remember, the longer your damaged and neglected clothes are left to wither and weather away, the more effort will need to go into reviving them from the dead.

So go ahead. Break out your forgotten old pants (just maybe not the Zubaz). You’ll be surprised how well that tight belt fits them.

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Service, Service, Service!!!

sudsvanRemember back in the day, when businesses used to go that extra mile to assure your satisfaction and convenience at every step?

From the personal tailor in the luxurious department store to the hand-delivered, ice-cold gallon of milk on your front porch, it’s those special personalized touches that are often lacking in today’s hectic, need-it-now society. Sure, the word “convenience” is everywhere, but how often is it really and memorably delivered upon these days?

Well, Sudsies hasn’t forgotten what it was like then. And we’re dedicated to keeping that special feeling alive today.

At Sudsies, we pride ourselves on being eco-friendly, designer dud-savvy and prompt and professional. But if there’s one thing we truly hang our hat on, it’s our FREE pickup and delivery service.

Free pickup and delivery have been part of the Sudsies story since Day One, yet we’ve found that our customers aren’t always aware of this convenient and cost-saving offering.

So allow us to give you a quick primer.

It all starts at Sudsies.com, our interactive and easy-to-use website. Once there, just click on the “Free Pickup & Delivery” button along the left-hand side, then click the “Sign Up” bubble. That will take you to a fast form where you’ll be asked to enter relevant contact information, including service details and cleaning instructions.

Once you’ve signed up here, you can put yourself on a fixed schedule – daily, weekly, biweekly, whatever works best for you. If you want us to pick up your dirty clothes every Monday and deliver them freshly cleaned every Thursday, we can do that. If you’d like us to pick up every Tuesday and deliver every Friday, that’s cool too. You name it. We’ll make it happen. The choice is all yours.

And of course, if you happen to suddenly find a stain on your favorite dress and need us to swing on by, you can always go online to request a pickup – and we’ll alert one of our drivers in your neighborhood right away.

It’s that easy. That personal. That convenient. And best of all, it’s entirely free of charge.

It’s all part of our dedication to going the extra mile to make you happy. Without ever stopping to check the odometer along the way.

So what are you waiting for? Visit Sudsies.com today. And get reacquainted with the time-honored art of personalized convenience.

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In the Lineup of Luxury

200019672-001Some names just carry more weight than others.

Chanel. Four Seasons. Bentley Motor Cars. Saks Fifth Avenue. The Ritz-Carlton. Brooks Brothers. These aren’t just brands. They’re iconic brands. Prestigious brands. Luxury brands.

Luxury brands are brands that are renowned for quality, craftsmanship, exclusivity and ingenuity – and high-dollar price tags. For those reasons and more, they’re names that are celebrated and collected by celebrities, trend-setters and the affluent. And even during tough economic times like today, up to half of all U.S. consumer spending depends on the wealthiest 10% of the population, according to experts like Chris Ramey.

Ramey should know. As chairman of The Luxury Marketing Council Florida, he oversees the state chapter of an unparalleled network of the world’s leading brands. The aforementioned names are just some of the 1,000 or so elite brands that comprise The Luxury Marketing Council.

And now, Sudsies Couture Cleaning is part of the roster too.

The Luxury Marketing Council announced the inclusion last week, and with the sterling reputation of Sudsies Couture Cleaning, it makes perfect sense. By expertly checking, cleaning and treating each designer garment by hand, Sudsies Couture Cleaning has earned the respect and trust of celebrities, luxury clothiers and the affluent all across South Florida. The unparalleled level of service also includes free pickup and delivery to anywhere in Dade, Broward or Palm Beach County, including homes, offices and even yachts.

Joining The Luxury Marketing Council will offer Sudsies Couture Cleaning more than just additional prestige. It will also afford the company access to powerful strategies and data from the most accomplished affluent-oriented businesses across the region and the country.

Founded in 1994 as a private by-invitation-only think tank, The Luxury Marketing Council was designed to share intelligence and create collaborations. In just 15 years, it has grown to include chapters in all corners of the world, from New York City to London to Sao Paulo to Miami and the Palm Beaches.

So now, when you get your designer clothes back from Sudsies Couture Cleaning, they will now be more than just clean. They’ll be luxuriously clean. And who can argue with that?

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