Why Buy When You Can Rent?
Throwback to the first Sex and the City film and I thought renting clothes or accessories was the biggest waste of time and money. I mean, why bother when you can buy a cheap bag that you can keep forever?! Fast forward a few years and my opinions have changed. I don’t particularly want the latest IT bag like the Jennifer Hudson character in the film – the bag she rented cost over $5000 dollars to buy new. No thanks! However, I think there is a time and a place for renting clothing.
Renting is going mainstream – Urban Outfitters announced they will be offering an online subscription service allowing people to borrow six items to wear for a month before swapping them. I’ve seen similar offerings in New York and Amsterdam and London from independents too. It means there is a fast fashion trade-off – you can still wear something new but it’s no longer unsustainable. The clothes will hopefully get reused and worn more and the customer gets to change up the latest look.
Personally, I like to rent for a special occasion. The clothes in my wardrobe that get the least wear are the wedding guest outfits or black-tie dresses. And comparatively, they are also the most expensive. Last year while on holiday in Dubai I tried out a rental service. Basically, it’s like online shopping. Depending on the website: plug in the dates, your size and what you are looking for and it shows a wide variety of garments that might be suitable. Along with notes on fit, fabric, customer photos and reviews.
It’s arguably not the cheapest option. Generally, the more expensive the dress is to buy, the more expensive it is to rent. But with our culture of always wanting to wear something different, it’s a good option for those summers when you get invited to all the weddings. A flowery Isabel Marant dress can be yours for the weekend and you don’t even have to clean it.
In the past it’s been more acceptable for men to rent – my husband hires a kilt for every wedding he attends. Including his own! Whereas the money invested in wedding attire for women is astronomical in comparison. Rental wedding dresses are available now, but it didn’t even enter my head when I got married nine years ago.
It’s a chance to play dress up and try something different to what you would normally wear. Next time I get invited to a ‘fancy do’ I will be renting rather than buying. Safe in the knowledge that the dress I wear is going to get worn a lot more than if I bought it myself.
This is a selection of websites that I have come across for renting clothes in Europe. If you know of any others, please leave them in the comments. As renting clothes becomes more mainstream there are more popping up all the time. A shout out to Rent The Runway which is a US-based rental website, they include photos and reviews from others who have worn the clothes which is such a cool idea for seeing how the garments look on different body shapes.
Oslo based FJONG is a growing company with over 4000 pieces for rent from over 150 brands. They also have local Norwegian brands and stylist appointments available. The website is a joy to use, I particularly like the “about page” with information about their whole team. The showroom is in Oslo but they will deliver to the whole of Norway. Prices are reasonable and include cleaning and insurance. Thanks to Pirita for the tip.
Amsterdam based Lena, with delivery to the Netherlands is for the everyday wardrobe. Again with one-off rentals and subscriptions available from €10, you can also buy the garment if you like it too much to give back. The clothes are available to rent for a longer time and include dresses, blazers, jumpers etc. It’s a bit like borrowing from a friend.
Girl Meets Dress reminds me of a more traditional way of hiring clothes. You don’t even need an account, just choose the dress you want from the website for 2 or 7 days. They do memberships too, although watch out because the link goes to Paypal very quick! The dresses are beautiful and the price for hire is reasonable. Delivery within the UK.
Mud Jeans is a Dutch company with a focus on sustainability and circular economy. They came up with the brilliant concept of leasing out their jeans. Simply rent the jeans for 12 months. Keep them if you still like them or swap them out for a different pair and Mud will reuse or recycle the old into a new pair of jeans. They also offer a free repair service for residents of the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
Baby clothes have got to be one of the most wasteful, in terms of how many times they can be worn before the child grows. Danish Vigga has thought of that are offering a solution. A subscription-based children’s package of cute organic clothes. Choose them yourself or they send out a package chosen by them. Genius! In the next few weeks, Vigga is rebranding to Circos, sign up for updates here.
Front Row is a UK based luxury rental service. Giving access to the current season of designer offerings at a much lower price. Rentals are for five days although this can be tailored to suit. The range is quite small although has everything you need, even a selection of skiwear.
HURR Collective is a brilliant concept because you can lend out your clothes and rent from other people. There is a waitlist for renting at the moment, I’m at number 2567! If you have clothes to rent out let them know as they are trying to build up their inventory.
If you want a pair of designer shoes to wear for a special occasion, this is a good bet. Cinderella Me have a selection of killer high heels. They specialise in high luxury designers so it’s still expensive to rent these shoes but an option if you know you’ll never wear them again.
Images show a rented dress and bag.
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About Me
The Green Edition is a journey to help slow down and appreciate the smaller things in life. With tips for shopping more consciously and simplifying your life.
About Me
The Green Edition is a journey to help slow down and appreciate the smaller things in life. With tips for shopping more consciously and simplifying your life.