hey, I invented those
Rommy Hunt Revson and the invention of the “scunci”
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When I think “scrunchie,” I immediately think of two scenes from pop culture history: the iconic Heathers opening sequence, and the episode of Sex and the City that spells the beginning of the end for Carrie and Berger. Both moments showcase the scrunchie’s rise and fall, its slide in status from must-have accessory to derided fashion faux pas.
And by the way, in case you haven’t noticed — scrunchies are back again.
But Rommy Hunt Revson didn’t set out to revolutionize the world of hair accessories when she filed her legendary patent. She’d been earning her living as a nightclub singer, known more as an opening act for Frank Sinatra than as a fashion trailblazer.
But after so many years on the stage, she’d gotten fed up with plastic claw clips and metal pins holding her hair. In the summer of 1986, as she nursed a broken heart and secluded herself in the Hamptons, the 42-year-old decided to craft her own stylish but comfortable solution.
She taught herself to sew on a thrifted sewing machine and, inspired by the waistbands on sweats and pajama pants, experimented with fabric and elastic. And voila — the scrunchie (though Rommy originally named it “Scunci,” after her beloved poodle) was born. Within a few years, the hair accessory became ubiquitous.
For years, however, Rommy didn’t celebrate that ubiquity — she mourned it. After patenting her “scunci” and finding a licensee to sell them, Rommy discovered the licensee couldn’t handle the bombardment of orders. The company went out of business, and Rommy saw the market flooded with knockoff versions of her design, now called “scrunchies.”
“I thought I would be a bag lady 10 years from now saying, ‘Hey, I invented those,’” she told one interviewer.
But once major retailers started manufacturing their own “scrunchies” in the 90s, Rommy took legal action. She secured a multi-million dollar settlement that set up Target, Walmart and others as licensees of her original design. One lawyer estimated she received $1 million every year for use of her invention.
In 1997, Rommy tried her hand at another design, this time for a baseball cap with resealable compartments to stash gum, matches or other small items. That one didn’t take off, and she let the patent expire a few years later.
In her 50s, Rommy moved to Florida, where she lived with a lively menagerie of rescued dogs and horses. Friends remembered her as a “one-woman show” of entertaining:
She did all the cooking for her parties. She played the piano, she sang, she was the entertainment, the hostess — everything. She always gave [scrunchies] away as table favors when she would have luncheons or dinners. You always knew you were going to get a scrunchie.
More on 🎀:
Rommy Hunt Revson, Creator of the Scrunchie, Dies at 78, The New York Times
The inventor of the scrunchie dies, leaving behind a fabulous fashion legacy, NPR
An ode to the scrunchie, the ’80s fashion invention we never forgot, The Washington Post
How the scrunchie rose and fell and rose again in popularity, Vox
How Scrunchies Became Cool Again, Racked (RIP!)
Scrunchies Are Little Rainbow Reminders That Millennials Are Old, The Atlantic
Rommy Hunt Revson went from singer to scrunchie inventor, The Palm Beach Post
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