A dress for the weekend

For years people have been buying clothes second-hand. Charity shops and now websites such as Vinted are a popular alternative to purchasing clothing brand new. This is good for the environment and for our bank accounts. However, other fashion problems still aren’t solved by this. We quickly run out of room in our wardrobes, and there are items that we may only wear once and never need again. Is renting clothes a solution to these problems? And are there any issues with this?

John Lewis offers 401 different rental items for a UK size 10 but only 68 for a UK size 18

What is clothes renting? MyWardobeHQ is one of these platforms and allows you to rent designer clothes and accessories by the day. When your rental time comes to an end you ship the clothes back. The company then dry cleans the clothing and lists it to be rented again. There are a variety of stores that specialise in clothing rentals but there are also clothing stores that have branched out with a section of rental clothes. John Lewis is one of these shops, with a selection of designer clothes available to rent for up to 30 days.

One issue with these rental platforms is that they don’t have a range of sizes available for the individual items. This can be so disappointing when you find the perfect outfit for an event only to see that they don’t stock it in your size. Furthermore, there is a huge issue with size inclusivity on these sites. John Lewis offers 401 different rental items for a UK size 10 but only 68 for a UK size 18.

MyWardrobeHQ has a fair range of sizes for most items, however size inclusivity is still an issue. There are 1488 items in a UK size 10, with only 171 in a UK size 18. The difference is staggering, and it raises the question of how to maintain size inclusivity on these platforms. These platforms can potentially be quite isolating for those who don’t fit the societal ‘normal’ size range.

Clothes renting isn’t all problematic, however, as it is a way to break the fast fashion cycle and prevents damage to the environment. When we have a one-off event that we need a special outfit for, such as a wedding or ceremony, we may be tempted to buy a new piece. These clothes then sit in our wardrobe for ages until another event comes along that it just isn’t quite right for. And so, the cycle continues. It almost always leads to an overcrowded wardrobe, or these special outfits simply being thrown away. Being able to rent an outfit allows you to get something perfect for when you need it and then return it when you don’t. It also tends to come at a cheaper price than purchasing the outfit.

It is estimated that more than half of fast fashion produced is disposed of in under a year

The pricing also makes these clothes more accessible to everyone. Whereas customers may not be able to shell out hundreds or thousands on a designer outfit, renting could be a more affordable option. For example, one dress on MyWardrobeHQ costs £60 to rent for four days, yet retails for £780. Whilst renting this dress again and again adds up and would eventually be more expensive than buying it outright, it can save a lot of money for one or two events.

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation looks into the need for a change in the fashion industry: “The current system for producing, distributing, and using clothing operates in an almost completely linear way… It is estimated that more than half of fast fashion produced is disposed of in under a year”. Clothes rentals are highlighted as a possible solution. Anything that disrupts this linearity of the clothing industry is an improvement on the current system.

The way we treat the clothing industry desperately needs to change. Clothing for special events is purchased and then worn very little before being thrown away. This has repercussions for the environment and solutions must be sought. One possible solution is clothes renting services. But while we acknowledge the importance of these services in the clothing industry, it is vital to recognise the limitations of clothes renting platforms, such as size accessibility.