How to Choose Hangers for a Clothing Store or Boutique

Hangers are one of the first things a shopper notices on your racks, even if they never think about it. The right hangers keep clothes in shape, make the store look neat and fit more stock on every rail. The wrong ones let tops slip to the floor, stretch out shoulders and make a new collection look messy.

This guide walks you through the choices in the order that matters most: what you sell, the look you want, the size, the space you have, and how to order.

1. Start with what you sell

Each type of garment needs a different hanger. Most stores need three or four types.

Shirts, blouses, tops and knitwear. Use a shirt hanger with shoulders, ideally with notches for camisoles and dresses with thin straps. Crystal clear hangers like the P5510 have notches and strap hooks built in. See all shirt and top hangers.

Suits, jackets and coats. Heavy garments need a hanger with real shoulders. A curved or wide-shoulder hanger keeps the shoulder line in shape, and a bar or locking bar holds the matching trousers. For tailored clothing and heavy coats, look at wide-shoulder wooden hangers like the W5701 / W5901. See all suit and coat hangers.

Skirts, pants and shorts. Bottoms hang best from clips or a clamp, so they stay flat and wrinkle-free. Adjustable clips slide to fit any waistband. See all skirt and pant hangers.

Children's clothes. Kids' clothes slip off and stretch on adult hangers. Use hangers sized for children (see step 3). See all kids and baby hangers.

2. Choose a material that matches your store

The hanger material sets the mood of the whole rack. Pick one main material and keep it consistent across the store.

Material	Look	Best for
Wooden	Warm, classic, high-end	Menswear, suits, coats, boutiques
Clear acrylic	Modern, clean, luxury	Boutiques, showrooms, bridal and eveningwear
Metal (chrome, gold, rose gold)	Slim, sleek, uniform	Fashion stores, display racks, coat rooms
Aluminum (gold, silver)	Light but strong, rust-free	Busy stores, closets
Plastic	Practical, low cost per hanger, many colors	Everyday retail, high-volume stores

Some tips:

• Wooden hangers come in natural, walnut, black, white, light gray, mahogany and retro finishes, with chrome or gold hooks. Our classic semi-curved family, W010–W070, matches across shirts, suits and skirts. See all wooden hangers.
• Clear acrylic hangers keep all the attention on the garment. The hook sets the style: gloss gold, matte gold, matte silver or chrome. See all acrylic hangers.
• Gold hangers give a warm, high-end look. You'll find gold metal, gold aluminum, and acrylic or wooden hangers with gold hooks in our gold hangers collection.
• Plastic hangers are the everyday workhorse. They come in black, white, gray, ivory, pink and more, plus crystal clear. See all plastic hangers.

3. Get the size right

A hanger that is too wide pushes out the shoulders. One that is too narrow lets the garment droop. As a rule of thumb:

Who	Hanger width
Adult tops, suits and coats	about 16" to 17.7"
Adult skirts and shorts	about 14" (17" and up for full-length pants)
Junior and teen	about 14"
Kids	about 11" to 13.7"
Baby	about 10"

The garment's shoulder seams should sit at, or just past, the ends of the hanger. If you sell a wide size range, stock a junior size as well as adult. It keeps smaller sizes looking right on the rack.

4. Slim or standard?

If your racks are full, slim hangers let you show more stock in the same space and keep the rail looking even.

• Ultra-slim wooden hangers, like our WS70 family, are much slimmer than a standard wooden hanger but keep the wood look.
• Slim plywood hangers, like the WLM21, give a natural wood finish at a slim thickness.
• Space-saving plastic hangers, like the PL010–PL025, come in six colors.

For heavy winter coats and tailored suits, choose a standard or wide-shoulder hanger instead. See all slim and space-saving hangers.

5. Look at the hook

• Swivel hooks (360°) turn in any direction, so staff can hang garments facing the right way on any rack. Most of our hangers have them.
• Chrome or gold hooks: match your store fixtures. Chrome suits most stores; gold adds warmth to wooden, acrylic and black hangers.
• Fixed loop hooks, like the gold M020, give a sleek, one-piece look.
• Anti-theft hangers are made for coat rooms, shuls, hotels and event halls.

6. Stop garments from slipping

Silky blouses, satin and wide necklines slip off smooth hangers. Options that help:

• Notches on the shoulders for straps.
• Non-slip PVC coating, like the PVC31.
• Non-slip bars on suit hangers to hold trousers.
• Clear adhesive grip strips for wooden hangers you already own: the GRP84.

7. Keep one family across the store

A store looks best when every hanger matches. Choose a family that has a shirt hanger, a suit hanger and a skirt hanger in the same material and finish. Many of our product pages include a comparison table of the whole family, so you can pick all the matching pieces at once. Examples:

• the W010–W070 suit hanger and the W012–W072 skirt hanger in the same finishes;
• the clear acrylic 8010 family.

8. Retail packed or bulk?

• Retail-packed hangers come in small ready-to-sell packs, so you can put them straight on your store shelves for your shoppers to buy. See retail packed hangers.
• Bulk hangers come in plain inner boxes, or loose in the case, for your own racks, closets and fitting rooms.

Many of our hangers come both ways. Pick the packing you want on the product page.

9. How to order

• Sold by the full case. Each product page shows what's in a case: the number of inner boxes or retail packs, the total hangers and the price per hanger. There is no minimum order: one case is fine.
• Wholesale prices. Approved stores and boutiques see wholesale prices on every product when they log in. Apply for a wholesale account.
• Fast, free shipping. Shipping is free within the U.S. Orders placed by 1:30 PM ET ship the same day and usually arrive in 3–5 business days.
• Your logo on your hangers? See custom hangers.

Quick checklist

1. List the garment types you sell: tops, suits/coats, bottoms, kids.
2. Pick one main material and hook color that match your store.
3. Choose the right widths: adult, junior, kids, baby.
4. Use slim hangers where space is tight, and wide-shoulder hangers for heavy coats.
5. Add notches, non-slip coating or grips for slippery fabrics.
6. Order matching pieces from the same family.

Questions? Read our FAQ or call 347-486-4432. We're happy to help you pick the right hangers for your store.