The Wash Out: Fostering Community & Joy Via Laundry

The Lay Out has been my creative playground. I’ve been lucky enough to have corporate roles where I’ve been able to be analytical (data is my love language) and creative. Leading the launch of 2,126 ?? Dragon Ball Z video game titles was awesome (Kamehameha!). Leading the relaunch of Street Fighter to the world with Street Fighter IV and the fast-follow launch of Super Street Fighter IV was super awesome (Hadouken!). Leading and driving the consumer launch of SNKRS Stash, SNKRS Cam, and SNKRS Pass while at Nike was also fun (Got ‘Em). While those were pretty groovy big stages, it took a lot to get ideas understood and approved, particularly the more authentic and genuine the ideas were. And in most cases their final execution ended up being good, but somewhat, watered down versions of the original vision.?With The Lay Out, I get to dream and then execute ideas as I meant them. Like one of my 2023 brainchildren, The Make Out, bringing my newest brainchild, The Wash Out, through a partnership with Hinge to life has brought me extreme joy.

The concept of The Wash Out is simple, especially if you’ve spent time living in NYC and especially if you're a Gen-Z NYC dweller. Some quick back-of-the envelope + StreetEasy searches assuming 2 Gen-Z's are looking to share a $3k/ month apartment in Brooklyn:

• 416 2-bedroom apartments came up for $3k, or under, in Brooklyn
• Only 170, or 40%, have laundry in the building
• Only 69, or 16%, have laundry in unit

To summarize, most of Gen Z in Brooklyn (and most of NYC) is using a wash-and-fold service or going to a laundromat. And believe me, what they HATE, even more than their disdain for basic expectations and accountability (KIDDING ??), is giving up weekend or evening time to sit in a laundromat with strangers.

Based on the U.S. Surgeon General's 2023 report on our epidemic of loneliness which highlights the healing effects of social connection and community, Hinge 's, One More Hour initiative underscored that today, Gen Z gets 1,000 fewer hours of in-person connection time per year than previous generations. There has never been a better, or more critical time, to turn the things we have to do, into things we look forward to doing.

Enter my dream, and now reality of, The Wash Out by The Lay Out. We take over a laundromat for private, ticketed, monthly events and add in friends, lessons on how to get better at laundry (apparently there is a way to fold fitted sheets), a DJ, libations and food, thus turning the chore of laundry from something that usually leads to FOMO into something that gives others FOMO.

In addition to the ideation for The Wash Out, I creative directed the imagery (shot by Vonecia Carswell , created all of the final campaign assets, built all of the digital social media and e-commerce touch points, drove the partnerships and will produce the actual events. I look forward to the first event, folding with friends and wish all of your laundry days spark similar joy. ??