Core77 reader Zac Feltoon writes in with a personal project: a fun, cylindrical wall hook which he fast-tracked through to production just in time for the holidays!

Zac states: "itsahook solves a problem that has persisted unnecessarily in wall hook design, that is, clothing is often dented when hung up. Itsahook's form is derived from a solution for that issue by implementing a large regular curve set at an angle that grips onto clothes but distributes the weight of the garment enough that it will not dent them. Necessity dictated that a way to mount the hook on the wall was needed and this lead to the now curved face of itsahook that allowed the design to develop its affable expression."

Design Team

• Design by Zac Feltoon (https://www.itsahook.com) • Manufacturing by C R Industries LLC, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (https://crifabricators.com/) • Photographed by Drew Gurian (https://www.drewgurian.com/)

Zac details the process behind the wall hook: "After identifying the need for a coat hook that would not dent clothing, I set about developing a form that solved the problem and could be manufactured at scale for a reasonable price. Early iterations included forms that were better suited to casting, but the startup cost for tooling would have been too great without licensing the design to another company. As the design progressed, early iterations identified the opportunity to incorporate a catch-all space below the rounded hook that could be used for keys and other items that are carried with us daily. After many iterations the final form was identified, a streamlined design that could be manufactured from a section of tube and mounted to the wall with screws through a flat laser-cut flange welded from the back of the hook.

Once the final design was established it was decided that this was a project Zac Feltoon Design would launch. The challenge then became to find a US-based manufacturer that met two key criteria. First, did they have all of the necessary craftsmanship and tools in-house to manufacture this product at scale? Second, since at the time it was mid-November, could they ramp up to commercialize production by early December? After a couple of false starts, one manufacturer was able to meet that challenge; CR Industries of Milwaukee, WI. Without them and their willingness to collaborate, this project could not have come to fruition in time to launch this holiday season.

Working together daily over three weeks we were able to iterate half a dozen prototypes and revisions to make sure that the product met the high standards set for finish and construction quality. itsahook launched for pre-orders on November 23rd. I am proud to say that as of writing this in early December, order fulfillment has begun with time to spare to meet demand for this holiday season!"

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