As a college sophomore, Angus Willows set himself an ambitious task: Design a better coat hanger. In Willows’ eyes, the incumbent objects were flimsy, disposable, and ill-suited for holding a wide variety of clothing items.
Willows got to work, and after gaining dual degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Design Innovation, perfected his design. The result is the Kangaroo Hanger:
The hangers are made from 100% recycled/recyclable ABS, and engineered to hold 25 lbs without breaking.
The dual lower bars allow it to hang different types of garments with a minimum of fiddling:
Willows started a company to launch the product in early 2024. Kangaroo Hangers were a massive hit, gaining tens of millions of views on TikTok and other platforms and racking up sales. Willows subsequently launched an Alloy version of the hanger made of both metal and sustainably-sourced Beech. Slightly heavier-duty, it will hold 30 lbs.
Today the Kangaroo Hanger is available at Target, Walmart and Costco. Not bad for a freshly-minted product designer!