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Who hasn’t felt that annoying, itchy label in the back of her blouse? Or wondered just why such a lovely sweater has a tag scratching the back of her neck or the side of her waist?

And who hasn’t been surprised by a high-quality garment with such a rough clothing label?! Of course…we ALL have, and that’s precisely why someone has finally come up with the brilliant idea to solve this all-too-common problem. It’s TagTamers™ to the rescue!

Yes, we’ve all experienced this annoyance, and many of us have tried to solve this problem by snipping out that itchy label. Sounds like a reasonable idea, right? Well, sometimes trying to solve one problem simply creates others. Here’s some sound advice on how you can relieve this irritation, and a fun story about how someone just like you came up with a great idea to do it…

In the fast-paced center of New York’s fashion district sits Joan Lefkowitz, owner of Accessory Brainstorms, which focuses on bringing bright, innovative fashion & beauty accessories, and lifestyle products to market. Joan, named “Mother of Invention” by WWD, normally markets and licenses others’ inventions. But this time, Ms. Lefkowitz recognized the issue and was “itching” to get the fashion problem solved. 

In 2004, a tag-free clothing movement was emerging. As Joan saw it, although sewn-in tags can be a nuisance to all of us, some people actually like their tags: if you’ve paid for Prada®, Gucci®, or Sevens®, then you most certainly want that label! The real dilemma, still, was how to “tame” those itchy, irksome tags. This thought stayed with Joan, reminding her each time she purchased or put on a new garment with a scratchy tag (sounds familiar?).

Despite her search, Joan could not find anyone who’d come up with an acceptable solution. So she took matters into her own hands and birthed the concept for Tag Tamers™—a translucent specialty tape that covers a garment’s sewn-in tag, leaving a smooth, soft, and comfortable surface. Here, she entrusted Hollywood Fashion Tape, an experienced clothing tape manufacturer, to develop and refine it. The quality of the final product was so excellent, a US patent was immediately initiated! The resulting Tag Tamers™ has a comfortable, thin design and is easily removable for laundering.

“Without Tag Tamers™, we’re left with few options,” explains Ms. Lefkowitz, “Suffer through the scratch, or risk ruining our expensive garments by cutting out the tags. And without instructions we may accidentally shrink our ‘Dry Clean’ items!” Adds Lauren Parker, Accessories magazine editor, “I am truly obsessed with Tag Tamers™…I‘ve ruined so many items of clothing, ripping out my tags improperly!” Not surprisingly, Tag Tamers™ has also won an award from Accessories magazine.

So a widely known problem has been solved… simply and inexpensively (Tag Tamers™ cost only $9/box). Yet this handy new product came about merely because someone identified a common problem that needed to, and could, be solved…and then took a few easy steps toward coming up with her own solution! Of course not every idea winds up being practical – let alone marketable – but this story should inspire anyone out there who uses common products, understands there’s room for improvement, and slips on her ever-fashionable “thinking cap” to conjure up her own “accessory brainstorm”!