Simone Taylor knew there must be an alternative to the unflattering shower cap women mindlessly throw on before showering.
As so many of us resign ourselves to the fact that sometimes the pursuit of looking good down the track comes at a price in the short-term, 33-year-old Taylor was busy working on a solution. She had decided looking a tad unsightly in the shower had an expiry date.
Enter Louvelle.
In an interview with news.com.au this weekend, Taylor discussed how her idea for stylish shower caps (not an oxymoron) has proved to be the most unlikely booming business idea of all.
“I had a brainwave … why isn’t there a more fashionable style to protect your hair in the shower that doesn’t make you look like an old maid?” Taylor told reporter Simone Mitchell for news.com.au.
And so, Taylor re-imagined the shower cap, inspired by the chic turban that was infiltrating the fashion world.
Speaking to the New York Times in August last year, the Queensland mum-of-two said her idea was born from how often her and her husband would laugh about the totally unflattering nature of the traditional shower cap.
“I created Louvelle because, like most women, I don’t have time to wash my hair every day and my husband would always make fun of me when I wore my shower cap,” she said. “I wanted to create something that you could look at in the mirror and not feel unattractive in.”
After spending more than a year refining the product, Louvelle was ready to enter Australian bathrooms.
“We started in our basement, with me packing the orders while nursing a newborn and wrangling a toddler which was a challenge,” she told news.com.au, adding that within two months the couple broke even and within two years they had hit $250,000 revenue.
Today the company sells headbands, robes, eye masks and beauty bags.
You can view the full feature on Taylor’s business story here.
Top Comments
I never use shower caps I just put my hair up and don't put my head under the water. It's probably easier because I am tall and often have to squat to wash my hair (once the shower head at a hotel only reached my chest and I am only 5'10" it was like a shower for children or very short people).
Shower caps for grown-ups is a thing? I thought only little kids used them.
If you have dry hair like mine that should only be washed once or twice a week, then yes, you definitely need a shower cap. I've had a Louvelle one for a couple of years and it is the greatest. Not only is it stylish, it is big enough to fit both my head and hair under it. Love it!
Yep, I use them occasionally, so do my mum and sister-in-law. These are nice, much more attractive than the old ones that make me look like Little Red Riding Hood's granny!
Really?! I thought only old ladies used them!
Although I have used one from time to time. I find it just as easy to chuck my hair in a messy bun and be a bit careful not to get it wet.
I use them very very rarely when I've done my hair and have to go out (maybe once every 6 months) but I just use a cheapie, usually leftovers I pick up from hotel rooms.