Renting clothes? No thanks – it’s too expensive and not as green as buying second-hand, say experts

Although the sharing economy has changed the way we live, fashion and accessories is the one sector where it has not taken hold, despite initial interest

Rental clothing companies like Rent the Runway are struggling. Few want the hassle of returning, or paying the dry cleaning for, items they can afford to buy

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Bags for rent on By Rotation. Rental clothing companies like this one are struggling to maintain the public’s interest in renting designer items. Photo: Instagram/@byrotation

Published: 7:15am, 30 Jan 2023

When Carrie Johnson, wife of former UK prime minister Boris Johnson, started wearing rented clothes on the world stage in 2019, the press and the fashion industry covered her choices constantly – and declared we were witnessing the start of a new era of dressing.

Just as Uber had revolutionised transport and Airbnb had transformed travel, platforms like Rent the Runway and The Rotation would change the way we shopped for clothes.

Four years on, the rental revolution is starting to look as tired and as issue-ridden as Johnson’s former premiership.

Last year, rental companies Seasons and The Rotation shut down. Reports have shown that shareholders at Rent the Runway lost hundreds of thousands of dollars when share prices fell last autumn. Recently, news broke that the company was launching an Amazon Fashion storefront to sell preloved clothes that it previously rented.

Jennifer Hyman, Rent the Runway co-founder and chief executive, said: “Collaborating with Amazon Fashion brings Rent the Runway incredible brand awareness. We believe strategic relationships like this can ignite a new engine of growth for our business.