Tumble Dry, No Iron-y?

Tumble Dry, No Iron-y?

December 20, 2018—Laundry is a part of everyday life. Here, photojournalist Consuelo Kanga, known for her portraits of people doing chores, like milking cows and working fields, celebrates the humble beauty of clothes strung on a line.

Today, laundry has found new photographic representation, namely as a backdrop for high-fashion ads. In its latest campaign, the luxury brand Balman posed models in a laundromat, commercial washers, fluorescent lights, and all. People have become so smitten with the laundromat aesthetic, it’s also become a favorite Instagram backdrop. Explaining the laundromat’s appeal, Dawn Nagle, who works in marketing for a commercial washing machine distributor, noted, “It’s that contrast between the beautiful and elegant fashion with the everyday task of washing clothes.” Indeed, it seems that for a new generation, doing laundry has never looked so good.   

Image: Luxe suds: Balmain’s advertising campaign. Credit: An Le/Balmain

Source: Steven Kurutz, “A Fresh Spin Cycle for the Laundromat,” The New York Times, December 20, 2018.