Rommy Hunt Revson, inventor of the scrunchie logo, passed away on September 7.
Mhari Shaw / NPR
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Mhari Shaw / NPR
Scrunchie is everywhere. And although its acceptance in popular culture and fashion has increased and flowed since its invention in 1986, the scrunchie has refused to go away.
It was hailed by some as a genius product that was both functional and fashionable, while others derided it as an accessory with a “suburban” cry. Regardless, the former singer and pianist widely recognized for the invention of spandex, Rommy Hunt Revson, has left her mark on fashion history. She died on September 7, at the age of 78.
In a 2016 interview with Talking Business & PoliticsRevson says she invented the scrunchie as an alternative to plastic and metal hair bands. At the time, she was sitting at home in the Hamptons. Although she was once married to the heir to the Revlon cosmetics empire John Revson, she said she has no claim to any property, so she has to earn money where she can.
“I went to South Hampton and bought some fabric and found a used sewing machine worth $50,” she said. Talking Business & Politics. “It was a pretty big purchase for me on a housekeeper’s budget, but I bought it and took it home.”
Within weeks, she taught herself how to sew and had a working prototype. Inspired by the design of the elastic waistband on tracksuits and named after her dog, “scunchie” (pronounced SKOON-chee) was born. Later it was just called scrunchie.
Revson patented the design, and when she launched the product into retail stores, it was a success. While some accounts credit Philips Meyers for designing a similar product in 1963, it is the Revson’s version that we are all familiar with.
The rise and fall (and rise) of scrunchie
Sara Radin, a self-described scrunchie enthusiast and briefly the internet’s unofficial scrunchie historian, wrote in a 2019 Article in Teen Vogue magazine design solved a problem for women in the 1980s.
“At a time when hair was big, scrunchie proposed for women a way to pull their hair back without damaging the hair, unlike standard elastics, while also taking basic hair ties up a notch,” writes Radin. next degree,” wrote Radin. “On top of that, it’s just another way to dress up their already-too-popular look.”
In the 2019 season of Strange thingsEleven (played by Millie Bobby Brown) pull a half horse with a yellow horse.
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Netflix / Netflix
In the 2019 season of Strange thingsEleven (played by Millie Bobby Brown) pull a half horse with a yellow horse.
Netflix / Netflix
In the years to come, pop culture and entertainment icons – from Madonna to Paula Abdul to Happy homeMichell Tanner – raised the scrunchie to global stardom. NASA astronaut Pamela Melroy wore a blue scrunchie to space, which is remembered in the Smithsonian to this day.
But like all trends, the scrunchie era is over.
“Trends tend to disappear when they become transcendent and become associated with a few,” says Patrick Michael Hughes, a decorative arts and fashion historian at Parsons School of Design.
In a particularly iconic twist in the scrunchie story, Sex and the cityCarrie Bradshaw delivered a Strong condemnation of accessories.
Bradshaw, who is dating writer Jack Berger, told Berger it was unrealistic for a female character in his book to wear an ao dai in public. “No woman who works at W Magazine and lives on Perry Street has been caught dead at a trendy downtown restaurant wearing a dress. scrrrruunchie! ”
“It was funny because it was so real,” Hughes said of the scene. “New York [in the ’90s] is the glam type and things are really booming in the city in terms of nightlife, and going out, dressing up and having fun… And having a clear look for the New York woman. And a scrunchie is not part of it. ”
A scrunchie is a sure sign of a suburban transplant, says Hughes. “Like UGG boots.”
So the accessory fell out of favor, its glory days in the mainstream lost in the early 2000s.
Lizzo, in a bejeweled gown, poses with Lil Nas X at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards.
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Kevin Mazur / WireImage
Lizzo, in a bejeweled gown, poses with Lil Nas X at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards.
Kevin Mazur / WireImage
But two decades passed, and the early 2000s came back. And ride this nostalgic revival wave instantly back to its former glory: scrunchie.
“Have [been this] revival of the Y2K fashion category, and it’s been going on for a number of years,” Hughes said. We’re starting to see celebrities on the red carpet wearing a scrunchie, but not necessarily in their hair, sometimes on their wrists. or something like that. It gets cool again. “
Scrunchies are also back on TV, appearing in Strange things, For example. At the same time, the rise of sport strengthens the scrunchie’s place in many people’s everyday wear, Radin said.
Hughes doubts that scrunchie will return to stay. And Google search data shows interest in scrunchies spiked in 2019, but remains at a higher average than pre-2019 levels.
However, Revson still left a lasting impact on fashion.
“I think it has a very important place in the sense that it is really a trend,” reflected Hughes. “It’s something that pops up in popular taste and in pop culture, like skinny jeans, and has had a really strong time.”
“She was a genius who came up with an invention that really changed the way women dress,” says Radin.
