RENT & RESALE: A SUSTAINABLE APPROACH TO FASHION?
Introduction
Increasing consumer awareness of the environmental impact of fast fashion is prompting an entrepreneurial rethink of how to keep clothing out of landfill and create a circular economy. For GenZ and Millennial shoppers the tradition of ownership is already a waning aspiration, streaming services such as Spotify, Netflix and peer to peer transactions such as Airbnb, pay testament to this shift. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that innovative rental and resale businesses are flourishing across the fashion sector.
As we enter the festive period of parties and gifting, rental and resale is a particularly useful service to consider. Whether it be picking out a one-off party dress or re selling a misjudged gift. We’ve listed a few of our favourite UK Fashion resale and rental trailblazers, who are backing a more circular approach to consumption.
ByRotation
ByRotation, launched in April 2019, is the UK’s first peer-to-peer fashion rental app. Comparable in some ways to Airbnb or Uber but within a fashion context, the service facilitates renting and lending out mid to high end fashion pieces. Staying true to its mission statement of reducing, reusing and recycling, the service buys no extra inventory, instead, stock is solely supplied by the members of the app. Rentals range, for example, from £20 for a Ganni dress to £65 for a Chanel bag. Open to all genders ByRotation is dedicated to building a strong community of responsible fashion followers.
Hurr collective
HURR Collective is an invite-only, peer-to-peer wardrobe rental and lending platform. Founders Victoria Prew and Matthew Geletas have created an on-demand, online fashion rental space using unique, real-time ID verification, geo-tagging and AI-powered fashion stylists to help members navigate purchasing decisions. Style savvy individuals can join and either loan out their clothing or rent clothing from others. Members can expect to find a wide selection of mid-range and luxury brands ranging from The Kooples through to Maison Margeila plus accessories and some unique vintage finds. Rental prices range from £20 for J Crew knitwear to £300 for a Burberry coat.
Vestiaire Collective
With an extensive membership of over 7.5 million members in 50 countries, Vestiaire Collective is one of the most well-established online community driven resale sites. Founded in 2009, the platform enables members to buy and sell luxury fashion in a safe and trusted environment. Its premium reputation has been bolstered further with a recent month-long pop-up store in Selfridges London. This collaborative approach of bringing rental concepts into a bricks and mortar setting demonstrates the willingness and evolving attitudes of retailers to acknowledge and serve the conscious consumer.
Rotaro
Launched in November, Rotaro is one of the most recent arrivals to the online rental scene. It prides itself on a carefully curated, cult brand assortment, from the likes of Reformation, ROTATE Birger Christensen and Rixo. Rates are affordable at around £35 for a four day rental period. While items are easily filtered by the classic size, colour and categories, it’s the edited trend driven looks that create a point of difference from its competitors, for example Winter prairie, Shimmer Fever and The New Florals.
My Wardrobe HQ
My Wardrobe HQ or MWHQ, sees itself as a manager of the rent and re-sale of clothing and accessories from the wardrobes of fashion stylists and influencers. Customers can browse by brand or explore their favourite influencers – from Poppy and Chloe Delevingne to Olivia Buckingham. Once items are picked, MWHQ deals with the rental or purchase process from start to finish, including storage, postal and laundry. This platform remedies, to some extent, the buy and wear once culture that social media has created. It encourages members to invest in better items with the knowledge that items will be shared along with generating some income.
Hire Street UK
