10 Chic Fashion Rental Platforms To Check Out This Season
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4 weeks ago
A Chanel co-ord at a fraction of the retail price? Don't mind if we do...
Wondering how you can reduce your carbon footprint in fashion – but stay stylish? Read on for the luxury rental platforms taking vintage shopping to new heights.
Fast fashion is playing a seminal role in destroying our planet, polluting our oceans and generating a staggering 1.2 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases a year (more than all international flights). The sartorial shame is real. While reconciling luxury fashion with sustainability is a tough gig in itself, the dizzying rise of rental and resale sites, paired with a fine vintage renaissance is certainly a step in the right direction.
With social media placing an expiry date on luxury pieces and the likes of Airbnb, Netflix and Uber opening the sharing and subscription economy floodgates, British consumers have never been more open to leasing high end fashion. As long as dry cleaning and delivery impact is scrutinised, rental fashion reduces waste, improves the life-span of clothing and reduces custodians’ fabric footprint with a more circular economy. If a monthly cocktail of Simone Rocha dresses, Fendi ski suits and Carven coats sounds appealing, consider signing on to one of the rental services below. (Just steer clear of the red wine.)
The Best High-Fashion Rental Platforms
Rites
Best For: Designer brands
The ultimate try-before-you-buy, Rites doubles up as a rental and resale platform from which you can borrow and buy from your favourite designer labels for a fraction of the original cost. From Gucci and Prada to Ganni and Rejina Pyo, there’s plenty of options to choose from to give your wardrobe a small facelift.
HURR Collective
Best For: Themed edits
HURR Collective is becoming a bit of a household name when it comes to renting a super luxe wardrobe for a fraction of the price. On its website, you’ll find peer-to-peer listings as well as items directly from brands and department stores, and even fun seasonal edits if you’re in need of some inspiration.
My Wardrobe HQ
Best For: Secondhand shopping
Launched in 2019, this fashion-pack favourite quickly amassed an impressive catalogue of top designer brands, from heavyweights like Chanel, Gucci and Prada to newer labels like RIXO, Dodo Bar Or and GANNI. Members can enjoy an extended rental period – up to 14 days – and, if they find themselves falling for the piece, buy it outright.
By Rotation
By Rotation
Best For: Luxury occasionwear
Eshita Kabra-Davies founded this fashion rental app following a trip to her native home, Rajasthan in India, where the devastating impact of textile waste became more evident than ever. Making luxury items more affordable, accessible and naturally kinder to the planet, the platform is ideal for when you’re in need of a one-off occasion dress, or that designer bag you’ve always wanted (but aren’t quite ready to splash out on).
Rent the Runway
Best For: Exclusive partnerships
Lauded for leading the charge on the rental fashion movement, Rent the Runway was founded in 2009 by Jennifer Hyman and Jennifer Fleiss in the US and began by offering women low rental fees for designer dresses. A few years later, the company graduated to two ‘membership’ models, now with over 550 designer partners offering pieces for a plethora of occasions and even exclusive capsule collections for Rent the Runway.
Front Row
Best For: New-in pieces
Shika Bodani launched Front Row, London’s first luxury designer rental service, in 2016, having spotted a gap in the market for a high-end fashion wardrobe on rotation. Bodani saw fashion influencer culture as key to peddling the sartorial shift and endeavoured to bring America’s rental success stories to the UK, enabling clients instant access to the hottest designers and trends for a fraction of the retail price.
Girl Meets Dress
Best For: Dresses
With a pay-as-you-go or membership option, Girl Meets Dress is Europe’s leading fashion rental site on a mission to build a ‘wardrobe in the cloud’. Founding the company in 2009, Anna Bance pins the new borrowing norm on the rise of the experience economy where trips are prioritised over expensive designer dresses, along with an increasing consumer conscience and responsible shopping mentality. Ideal for occasion wear from weddings to the races, shoppers can order dresses as far in advance as they wish – there is no limit.
Girl Meets Dress
Selfridges Rental
Best For: Store quality rentals
Selfridges continues to lead from the front when it comes to disrupting traditional retail. As well as working with The Restory (for repairing your old Chanel) and Hurr Collective (for dress rental), they’ve now launched a pre-loved fashion section both in store in The Corner Shop and online.
BagButler
Best For: Designer bags
Want to get your hands on the latest luxury bags and accessories for a fraction of the price? London-based rental service BagButler lets you do just that, giving shoppers the opportunity to rent classic bags from heritage brands from just £160. Ideal if you want to chase the latest trends without breaking the bank – or giving in to wasteful shopping habits – BagButler is ready to welcome you to the rental revolution.
For The Creators
Best For: Maternity clothing
Set up by first-time mum Lyndsay Mason in 2020, For The Creators is a rental platform specialising in beautiful, well-made clothing for those at every stage of pregnancy (an the moments that follow). Keen to avoid the traps of sending maternity clothes to landfill not long after buying them, Lyndsay wanted to create a service that could help women look and feel great while offering up a more circular option for this area of the fashion industry. You can use FTC for one-off rentals or sign up to the subscription service for a monthly plan that includes access to the entire collection for 40 percent off.
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