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Gentlewasher - The washing device that's truly gentle!

Gentlewasher​ is an unique laundry device for delicate, expensive clothes​.

Here's the candid and insightful conversation - an eChai with Kathak Mehta, Co-Founder, Gentlewasher.

How did you come up with the idea of Gentlewasher ?​​

We see beauty in washing clothes, as it is an activity you do on a daily basis, it’s highly underappreciated but without doing it, you can’t even step foot outside your house. I also had numerous bad experiences with washing certain delicate clothes, more so after ruining 2 of my favorite dresses, which became the building ground for gentlewasher.

Also the fact that the washing machine as a device hasnt changed in a long time. The TVs, for example have evolved from the big chunky boxes to flat screen and more but the washing machine has been the same big box for long.

What problem are you solving?

The gentlewasher is a washing device specifically designed for delicate clothes that need personal attention. While washing, clothes are separated - the heavy clothes are washed in the washing machine, and delicate clothes are washed by hand (by domestic help or self) on a daily basis. We found that the washing machine is known to damage the delicates and using a brush is also harsh on delicates, besides being a cumbersome process to manage. That is where the gentlewasher fits in. Instead of brushing the delicate clothes piece by piece, the gentlewasher takes care of 8 kurta’s/shirts in less than 5 minutes. It is extremely easy to use, durable and has zero maintenance.

How does it work?

The gentlewasher is a simple to use washing device. The washing process of gentlewasher consists of 2 cycles - wash cycle and rinse cycle. For the wash cycle, fill the drum from the tap through the pipe provided, add detergent of your choice, put in 8-10 clothes and rotate for 2 minutes. After the dirty water from the wash cycle is drained out through the outlet, the drum of the gentlewasher has to be replenished with fresh water for the rinse cycle of 2 minutes. See 'how it works' video attached herewith for more details.

What is your target market?

We launched the gentlewasher in Ahmedabad in October 2016. The target audience for gentlewasher is women of the age group from 26 - 36, high income group, fashion conscious, who wear designer and branded clothes, who shop, hand-pick their clothes at high-end stores or even in the local markets and they love their clothes, are attached to them and are particular about taking care of the clothes. She may be a hobbyist or a working woman or even stay-at home mom.

What is your competitive advantage?

gentlewasher is a fabric-friendly washing device which preserves garments while washing.

The gentlewasher is not just a new innovative product, it is a new product category in itself. It is neither comparable to the washing machine nor does it replace the washing machine. The washing machine is always going to continue doing its work as happening currently. The gentlewasher, a welcome addition to the laundry section, is specifically meant for clothes that are not put in a washing machine.

How much time did it take you from conceptualization of 'your venture' to actually launching it in the market ?

About two years. We started with the idea in 2014 and launched the product in October 2016. In between happened the market validation, product design, development and manufacturing.

Tell us more about your team?

Founders

Coen Vermeer has a post-graduation from Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. He knew he wanted to develop something tangible, something you can hold in your hands.

Kathak Mehta already planned to start an innovative product-based business, having studied and worked in the area of technology and innovation. I have a master’s degree in tech management from the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT), Ahmedabad. I am also pursuing PhD in Management from Institute of Management, Nirma University.

We have one more business developer working with us full-time.

How do you plan to market your product? What are your customer acquisition strategies?

We are using various ways of marketing out product including the following:

- Personalized selling in own network

- Monono store

- Online media - facebook, instagram, youtube

- Tie-ups with local design stores

- Tie-ups for demos with residential societies and kitty parties

- Tie-ups with clubs

We focus most on experiential selling. We show demo of gentlewasher to people who are interested in the product.

What is the revenue model of Gentlewasher ?

Product sales

What do you want to achieve from this? What is your larger goal or vision?

We want to reach out to more and more people and create product awareness and generate sales.

What sort of support and feedback are you looking from the community?

Early adopters of innovative products, references of potential buyers, promotion partnerships, access to residential societies and kitty parties.


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Jatin Chaudhary
Salesman @eChaiVentures l Good at managing WhatsApp groups n organizing high quality, large gatherings at low cost :-) l Observer l Fmr Global Shaper @WEF

@Kathak - What are your major sales challenges?

Kathak Mehta
gentlewasher is the flagship product of Monono. gentlewasher is a washing device for delicate clothes which require personal attention.

Hi Jatin,

Thanks for opening the platform for discussion.

As far as sales challenges go, gentlewasher is a major change in the way clothes are washed. For centuries, we have been washing clothes by hand (in many cases, in spite of the washing machine). Which makes it a daunting task in itself.

The inherent challenge of introducing an innovative product in the market is quite a paradox. Innovativeness of the product instantly generates curiosity and interest, however, majority of the market waits to hear the experience of others who would buy before they decide to buy themselves (crossing the chasm). So we focus our marketing and sales activities in reaching out to early adopters.

Another way we have adopted to overcome the sales challenge is conducting more and more demos and user experience among target audience.

Thanks,
Kathak

Kavita Singh
Founder - Kaffeinated Konversations /Leading eChai efforts in Indore.

@kathak - I had seen video of Hetal who showcased the Gentlewasher product... I seems so easy to use!

Kathak Mehta
gentlewasher is the flagship product of Monono. gentlewasher is a washing device for delicate clothes which require personal attention.

@kavitajhala,

Thanks Kavita.
gentlewasher is indeed very easy to use and one can wash up to 8 clothes in 5 minutes :)

Angan Chandra
Textiles,Apparel industry professional, Technically sound in respective domain

Video seems very easy to use but my question is how effective the wash, only 2 mins is enough!!!!!--only washing & rinsing is covered, what about drying method--also just as a suggestion complete package should offer like-washing, drying & ironing

Kathak Mehta
gentlewasher is the flagship product of Monono. gentlewasher is a washing device for delicate clothes which require personal attention.

Hi Angan,

gentlewasher is a sustainable washing device is suitable for even the most delicate fabrics which are normally hand-washed. It is easy to use and fast.

The wash quality of gentlewasher is comparable to that of a good front-load washing machine. Because of the patented drum profile, your clothes are mixed extensively with the water and detergent, ensuring a good wash.

Drying of delicates clothes is best done without heat and extensive friction so ideally such clothes should be flat dried or hang to dry.

Thanks,
Kathak

Hanuj Tilwani
Founder's Office at DemandFarm | Ex-Founder at Miho (B2B SaaS)

Are you planning to enter the market of tier 3 cities and villages ? ( As electricity is the major issue in rural regions of our country)
if yes won't pricing be the challenge there?

Kathak Mehta
gentlewasher is the flagship product of Monono. gentlewasher is a washing device for delicate clothes which require personal attention.

Hi Hanuj,

gentlewasher is a sustainable washing device for washing delicate clothes that are hand-washed. It works great also for in-between loads, small families and students living in hostels.

In the near future, we see gentlewasher as a product platform which can be used by masses in countries across the world where people don't have access to a washing machine, for example due to electricity or water connection reasons. We envision gentlewasher as a washing device that save lots of time everyday, and becomes a big driver of women empowerment.

Thanks,
Kathak

Kathak Mehta
gentlewasher is the flagship product of Monono. gentlewasher is a washing device for delicate clothes which require personal attention.

Hi all,

I would be very happy to answer more questions or discuss in detail. Keep them coming.

Also, feel free to drop an email on [email protected] with questions, feedback or suggestions.

Thanks,
Kathak

Dhruv Gupta
A researcher turned entrepreneur, a computer scientist by certificate and a design thinker by training who did his first startup at 18. He has built 3 (three) tech startups till now and has been part of the journey for many startups as consultant, mentor and investor.

@Kathak - Do you feel that there is a need to educate people about how to take care of their clothing and building a community around this issue could help you promote your product in much better way..??

Kathak Mehta
gentlewasher is the flagship product of Monono. gentlewasher is a washing device for delicate clothes which require personal attention.

Hi Dhruv,

That's a very good point.

Yes absolutely. With the wide plethora of fabrics available, and each having unique weaving imparts a character - from soft cotton, to silky silk etc. Your favourite garments require careful treatment while washing.

A community about taking care of clothes would be the best way to create awareness about the need for gentlewasher.

We talk about right way of treating various fabrics in our blog at https://blog.gentlewasher.com

Thanks :)

Dr. Swati Patil

Hello Entreprenuer, This study is related to women entrepreneurs,s especially those who own digital startups. I would appreciate it f you could spread the message to the desired group. Thank you!
https://forms.gle/K9xTQYztATS7pS3GA