LG’s clothing care system Styler to go global

LG Electronics’ clothing care system, LG Styler, is going global to repeat its success story on its home turf.

The Korean tech giant said Wednesday it would start selling the product in key Chinese cities this week, while it would hit the U.S. market within the month.

The Styler is a steam closet designed to refresh clothes without washing or ironing them.

It doesn’t use chemical detergents, but instead uses steam to deodorize fabrics. The moving hangers shake the wrinkles from the steamed garments.

The latest second-generation Styler has sold more than 12,000 units in Korea during the 100 days after its December debut.

Largely buoyed by its Korean success, LG is pinning high hopes especially on China, where consumers are increasingly paying attention to sterilization and hygiene due to air pollution.

“We expect strong demands in China considering they do laundry, ironing and dry-cleaning frequently for clothing care,” said an LG official.

Since last month, the company has been holding a product road show traveling around Chinese cities. Participants gave positive reviews of the system, especially on odor removal and dry-cleaning for luxury clothes, officials said.

According to a survey, more than 80 percent of respondents said they intended to purchase the product, the company said.

In the U.S., LG has teamed up with luxury hotel chains such as Marriott and Sheraton to set up an experience zone for the Styler.

“We will lead the clothing care market with our Styler that offers brand new convenience for customers,” said Cho Seong-jin, LG’s home appliance president.

By Lee Ji-yoon  (jylee@heraldcorp.com)