For young people, ironing seems to be on the way out. A recent UK study found that one in three people under the age of 35 don’t even own an iron, and there’s no shortage of online hacks to help you avoid using one. Some people are going so far as to try to make creases chic – but that’s hard to pull off, especially in a basic cotton shirt and chinos at the other end of a long-haul flight.
Despite the generational turn against the steam iron, the majority of us want our day-to-day outfits to remain wrinkle-free. When travelling, that means both selecting and packing your clothes well. After arriving in a new city, you never want to open your suitcase to find them looking crumpled and creased. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to avoid ironing on arrival.
Whether you’re packing a gym bag full of activewear like Aussie tennis star Thanasi Kokkinakis or looking dapper in formal wear – also like Kokkinakis, who’s curated a collection of his favourite pieces from Politix for the occasion – we’ve put together a list of tips and tricks to ensure you look your low-crease best.
Pack for performance
Before packing anything, it’s important to consider whether your clothes are fit for purpose. Fabrics like linen and rayon are sure to wrinkle easily, so consider switching to crease-resistant options. For formal wear, a tailored jacket and pants made from a four-way stretch fabric will be easiest to maintain. Four-way stretch materials are specially woven with elastic fibres so they can be stretched any direction – up, down, left or right – and still retain their original shape. Clothing made with this flexible kind of fabric is also far easier to fold or roll into the crevices of your luggage space.
If you’re leaving the Australian winter for a hot climate, you’ll need something light and casual, like a slim tee or classic singlet in a moisture-wicking fabric. Kokkinakis, a brand ambassador for Politix, is a big fan of the label’s stretchy, breathable fabrics – they have tiny, built-in capillaries that pull moisture away from the skin to the garment’s exterior, allowing it evaporate quickly. That means no unnecessary sweat marks or wrinkles, helping you look fresh no matter the weather.
Unsure if what you’ve got in your closet will do the trick? Make it an excuse to shop for new clothes ahead of your trip – the new travel capsule collection from Politix is full of pieces designed to travel well – comfortable, wrinkle-resistant and easy to maintain – without sacrificing style.
Roll, roll, roll
You’re probably familiar with the rolling technique as a way to make the most of your packing space. Turns out, it’s also a great option for keeping your clothes crease-free. Tightly rolling them reduces points of contact and friction between garments, minimising the chance of wrinkles. Keeping them in compact bundles also stops them moving about too much, especially on those bumpy journeys to and from the luggage carousel.
There are several ways to do it. The most tried and true is to roll each garment individually as small as possible. For pants, fold them lengthwise, stacking the legs on top of each other, then start from the cuff and roll your way up. If you’re folding a T-shirt or polo, fold the arms back to create a rectangle, fold lengthwise, then roll as tightly as possible.
The so-called “sushi method” is particularly useful for the iron-averse. Roll your clothes into a big bundle, putting clothes with the most wrinkle potential on the outside and those with the least on the inside – jumpers in the middle and thin shirts on the outside, for example. The idea here is to give the most wrinkle-prone garment the most surface area, to reduce its chances of creasing.
Wrap it up
Another way to keep your clothes crease-free is to invest in some quality packing cells or garment bags. Look for sets that include different sizes, with smaller cells for underwear and larger ones for shirts and jackets. Not only will the added layer of protection keep wrinkles to a minimum, you’ll also find your suitcase is much more organised. The less you need to rummage around in there, the less likely you are to crumple your clothes.
For more formal garments, like your suit jackets and pants, invest in a quality garment bag. These flexible, zip-up bags are especially useful if you’re travelling by car and can lay them out flat, and they’ll keep your garment safe from dust, dirt and the dreaded creases.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Politix.
