“Discover the story behind Shirtmeister, the revolutionary ironing solution for young professionals. Learn how Progest and Widemex International worked together to bring this unique product to market.”
In early 2020, Jasper Baggerman unveiled his revolutionary ironing solution at Progest, designed specifically for young professionals. Although the first prototype was not yet ready for production, several steps were required before approaching market participants. Progest leveraged its extensive network to continue development of the product and found the ideal investment partner in Widemex International, a leading European manufacturer and distributor of ironing boards and covers with manufacturing facilities around the world.
Working closely with Progest’s own product developer and design firm GBO, an intensive development process began, led by Widemex International. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic brought some delays due to challenging communication and production processes of prototypes in China. This eventually resulted in a development process that took nearly three years, but with an amazing end result: the Shirtmeister. This innovation can dry and iron a shirt within 10 minutes, which is ideal for young professionals with little time or little ironing experience.
On Jan. 26, Widemex International presented the Shirtmeister at Ambiente in Frankfurt, one of the world’s largest international consumer goods trade shows. This annual event in Frankfurt, Germany, focuses on showcasing products in the categories of home furnishings, gifts, decoration, kitchen and household items, and more. Ambiente Frankfurt is an essential event for professionals in the interior, decoration and household sectors to discover new products, identify trends and seize business opportunities. The successful launch of the Shirtmeister during this event resulted in an overwhelmingly positive response from interested retailers.
In this case, Progest played a crucial role in preparing for market approach and licensing Widemex International. With financial support from Widemex International, prototypes were developed, extensively tested and the Shirtmeister fully refined for worldwide distribution. Widemex International will offer the Shirtmeister to their existing customers in the industry and explore new opportunities with this innovative invention. Are you curious about what Progest can do for you? Do the idea check and present your invention to us!
