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Protecting Your Fashion Investment

How to care for your show ring apparel

In the show ring, whether it’s a pleasure or an equitation class, it’s important to look good — because looking good not only makes you feel confident, it completes that perfect “whole picture” of horse and rider to help stand out from the crowd. DeRegnaucourt Ltd. provides the finest quality fabrics and finest fitting suits in the equine industry — with designs complementing rider, horse, and riding style perfectly. Their suits are built to last. Due to their obvious expertise and industry-wide respect, many look to DeRegnaucourt for fashion advice.

We asked Company President Becky DeRegnaucourt-Veltema to share the industry topic or question she receives most from her clients. Her answer was right up our alley: How to protect your fashion investment…

The subject that is a constant issue and comes up as a question so often regarding show ring apparel is DRY CLEANING. How often, whom to use, what if an item is ruined? Those are all excellent questions, and I have answers to which will save undo stress and loss of money.

Yes, clean your garments after every show!
Horse shows are a dusty place, and dirt, oils -- and, especially -- sweat will begin to degrade fine fabrics immediately. Almost every cleaner will be tempted to take aggressive measures to clean heavily soiled garments. YOU DO NOT WANT THAT. So, clean them often so that they are never extremely soiled.

Insist on your items being DRY CLEANED
The term, “dry cleaning” is a misnomer because your garments are actually cleaned in a liquid solvent. But, because water is not used, the process is referred to as “dry cleaning.” The solvent is designed to remove light stains, dirt, sweat and oils from the fabric without damage. Where things go very wrong is when a dry cleaner decides that your garments are not going to come clean enough using the dry-cleaning method and chooses to use a “wet cleaning method.” This method introduces water -- which is a big no‐no for most suit fabrics (wool, silks, or blends).

Dry-cleaning solutions such as “Perk” (Perkloretholyl) have been successfully used for many years in the dry-cleaning industry and are still used by most cleaners. Today, there is a huge push to “GO GREEN” for environmental reasons, but unfortunately, eco-products continue to cause serious damage to Dry Clean Only garments. Newer eco- cleaning products such as ”Val Clean” (which uses hydrocarbons with water), as well as some new machines that use wet cleaning methods with additives can both produce the same harmful result as garments simply being washed.

Look at your show apparel for evidence that your items have not been properly dry cleaned:

1. Fabric dullness (No luster as was originally in the cloth)
2. Water spots on the fabric (such as white film or rings).
3. Significant shrinkage of the garments

Protect your investment before you clean it
It is extremely important to specifically state the garments’ values that you are entrusting to your cleaner, and insist the cleaner NOT perform any wet clean methods under any circumstances. Also make sure to get a written receipt for the value of your goods. I recently spoke with a client who used to own a dry-cleaning operation. She got out of the business due to the liability of expensive clothing because their eco-cleaning methods were ruining such as huge number of their customers’ garments!! That was very enlightening to me.

Select an excellent dry-cleaning partner
Discuss your show apparel cleaning needs with your dry cleaner regularly (even if it is someone you have used for many years). Any cleaner can decide to implement the use of eco-solutions and -machines without your knowledge and then it will be too late to save your garments. Request your show ring investment be dry cleaned at every drop-off. Don’t forget to confirm the cleaner’s liability amount if your items are damaged, and lastly, have a written receipt that you will be properly compensated if damage is done.

If you continue to run into cleaners that have damaged items or are unwilling to take full liability for the items you are entrusting to them, DeRegnaucourt has developed a service to offer a quality cleaning option. We have partnered with a high-quality drycleaner in our local community, and we assume all liability for replacement of any garments for any dry-cleaning damage. Our cleaning partner was chosen based on their years of experience, on-site service, and ongoing communication/meetings with our staff regarding the expectations of DeRegnaucourt Ltd. This service ensures that garments are properly cleaned on-site by a company that handles a high volume of equestrian-specific garments.

Remember: to keep show ring confidence high, dry clean your beautiful fabrics regularly to maintain their quality and beauty.

Becky DeRegnaucourt-Veltema established DeRegnaucourt Ltd. in 1994 when she chose to bundle her successful backgrounds of 45 years in the equestrian industry with 18 years of national management and sales along with her education in Business/Marketing. In 2004, her husband, Bill Veltema -- who operated his own contracting business for over 16 years -- became an officer and partner of the company to further develop the business into something that utilized both of their backgrounds. This unique combination of talents has turned DeRegnaucourt Ltd. into one of the top custom equestrian apparel brands in the USA. They are committed to providing the ultimate in custom equestrian apparel for Trainers, Amateurs and Youths in show rings of the Saddlebred, Morgan, and Arabian breeds. To discuss YOUR next show outfit, contact DeRegnaucourt at 616.723.4197 or email customerservice@deregnaucourtltd.com. Visit their site at www.deregnaucourtltd.com

The views, information, or opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of Ms. DeRegnaucourt-Veltema and do not necessarily represent those of Equidae Insurance. For more information regarding this blog, please email customerservice@deregnaucourtltd.com

For more information about insuring your horse, or if you have a topic you’d like to see covered in our blog, please contact us directly at: Equidae Insurance, Inc. 608 Virginia Street East, Suite 302 Charleston, WV 25301 p. (304) 346-1198 f. (304) 345-3535

Stacey Halloran, Agent
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