The top five sites to rent designer clothes in the UK
Image: @theofficialselfridges
Fancy wearing Jacquemus to your best mate’s birthday party or packing the latest Prada bag for your summer staycation? Thanks to rental services like Selfridges, Cocoon, By Rotation, Hurr and Endless Wardrobe, you can – affordably and sustainably.
Out with trend driven, single-use fast fashion, in with renting or lending your clothes for affordable prices. After all, the fashion industry’s impact on the environment has become too big to ignore, contributing more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined. In 2019, The Guardian reported that one in three young women – the biggest segment of consumers – consider garments worn once or twice to be old (!) but we can help break this cycle by renting the clothes we want, rather than buying them on the cheap and discarding them months later. It’s fun, it’s sustainable, and we’ve put together a handy guide below.
SELFRIDGES
The beloved department store’s newly minted rental service gives you the opportunity to borrow stylish clothes from the likes of Jacquemus, Balenciaga and Bottega Veneta at a fraction of the price. Launched as part of Selfridges’ Project Earth initiative, it’s a fun and effective way to limit unnecessary waste. You can select a piece to rent for four, eight, 10 or 20 days, and dry-cleaning services are included.
COCOON
Launched in 2019, COCOON is the London-based handbag subscription service you never knew you needed. Members can choose from a range of flexible paid plans and monthly subscriptions to suit their needs – the road to getting your hands on a Prada mini-bag or Loewe leather hold-all has never been simpler, or more sustainable.
HURR
Founded in 2017 as a rebuke to the destructive effects of fast fashion, Hurr empowers women to extend the lifespan of their wardrobes. Thousands of renters and lenders can use the platform to share clothes, from a mind-bogglingly comprehensive list of designers (think: Acne Studios and Maison Margiela) while keeping up to date with the latest luxury pieces and trends.
BY ROTATION
Transform the way you consume clothing with By Rotation’s super smart app-based service, which basically functions as Depop for fashion hungry renters. You can list an item in under two minutes, choose pricing that works for you and communicate with potential renters via a secure messaging system – then renting items yourself is just as easy and accessible. Go on, treat yourself to that Ganni dress!
ENDLESS WARDROBE
At Endless Wardrobe, discover a new way to shop and invest in your favourite brands. You can rent pieces, buy them second hand, or even buy them new if you really fall in love with them – all rental items are covered for damages, and if you decide to keep what you’ve rented, they’ll even discount the rental price. What better way to shop for Free People or House of Sunny in an affordable and sustainable manner?
