Online Clothing Rental: Everything You Need To Know

Renting clothes is one proposed solution to the fashion industry's environmental impact. According to analysts from Global Data, its global size was $6.2 billion in 2023, and the United States has the highest market share. It became even more convenient because of online clothing rentals.

We spend so much money buying clothes for everyday wear and special occasions. Most of the clothes we buy for special occasions are worn once or twice and forget about. Rental services have come to help you save money and space in your wardrobe. 

Some online stores offer clothing rental services in various styles and sizes. This article covers the pros and cons of rental services, the barriers facing rental services, and some of the best rental services you can explore. 

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Benefits of Online Clothing Rental

1. It reduces the amount of time spent on shopping.

Shopping for new clothes, especially when dressing to match a theme, can take a lot of time. Whether online or in-store, you still need to find stores with unique clothing at a favorable price. 

An online rental service relieves you of walking from store to store to find something within your style. All you have to do is speak with the online clothing rental store personnel. They'll help you source for your clothing style at no cost. 

2. It saves space in your closet/wardrobe.

Another benefit of online clothing rental services is the space they free up in your wardrobe or closet, especially if you go out frequently. Buying clothes to fit special occasions and events you attend takes up a lot of space in your home. 

Some people are okay with it because they have a walk-in closet. However, renting solves this problem for those who live in small apartments. Apart from the size of the apartment, most of the clothes in our wardrobes are clothes we only wear sometimes. 

They are just taking up space. Renting clothes solves this problem because you don't have to buy new outfits for an event only to forget them at the back of your wardrobe. Renting for special occasions helps you save space for your everyday wear. It is like having a virtual closet.

3. It reduces waste.

Online clothing rental services reduce waste in the environment. Online clothes shopping produces a lot of waste via transportation and packaging, and making the packaging for these online fashion stores produces a high quantity of plastic waste. 

With every online order, tons of plastic packaging end up in landfills. We also worry about the depletion of natural resources because about 3.1 billion trees are cut annually to produce paper packaging.

Hong Kong, one of the biggest online shopping places, produced 780 million pieces of packaging waste in 2020, according to a local group. Furthermore, producing packaging materials, delivering them to the factory, and delivering them to the consumers produce high carbon emissions.

Statistics show that e-commerce shipping contributes mainly to greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. In 2020, shipping and returns of goods produced 37% of the global greenhouse gas emissions.

Carbon emissions increase as consumerism increases, especially when consumers demand fast delivery. Textile waste is also a concern. Most of the clothes ordered online are made of fast-fashion materials. 

They're not durable and often end up in landfills. Buying clothes for every event means you're contributing to textile waste because you'll throw them out once you're not wearing them again.

Online rental services reduce your contribution to fashion waste. You don't have to give in to the online shopping rush. Paying a monthly rental subscription helps you cut down on your shopping budget and reduces the CO2 emissions from shipping. 

4. Clothing rental saves you money.

The best part of this service is that it is cost-effective. We spend a lot on clothing and don't even realize it. As of 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Expenditure Surveys reported that men spend an average of $208 on clothes annually while women shell out $398. Those numbers do not include the annual $224 for footwear and $143 for other apparel products and services.

If you're one of these people with expensive tastes, then online clothing rental is for you. You can rent luxury fashion items from online rental stores at a fraction of their rental price instead of buying brand-new ones. 

Brand-new purchases, including delivery fees, cost a lot and take up space in your wardrobe. There's no need to spend excessive money on clothing and fashion items you will only wear occasionally.

5. Clothing rental can help you find your style.

Another way renting clothes benefits you is by improving your style. Finding your style can take time and effort. You'll have to find styles you're interested in, narrow it down to your top three, and buy outfits within these categories. This process will cost you time and money. 

However, renting options will relieve the stress of finding your style. You can rent clothes in the styles you want to explore for a few months before buying them. It saves you money because you don't have to spend to go through the trial-and-error process of finding new styles. 

6. It also reduces water usage and carbon emissions.

Renting clothes reduces your water usage and carbon emissions. Renting clothes instead of buying every time you need an outfit helps slow down fast fashion. As your demand for fast fashion brands reduces, their production level will also decrease, reducing water consumption.

It also applies to carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing the demand for fast fashion pieces reduces the fashion industry's carbon footprint in the long run. 

Cons of Clothing Rental

While renting clothes has many benefits, it still has disadvantages. Some cons of clothing rental are:

1. It lacks universal sizing.

It might be challenging to rent designer clothes because of sizing. Only some clothing brands have an extensive sizing chart, making it difficult for people outside the average sizing units to find clothes that fit them. For example, most rental platforms do not cater to plus-size people because most brands don't consider them in their clothing productions. 

2. It still produces some carbon emissions.

Another disadvantage of using a clothing rental platform is the carbon emissions it produces from shipping rented clothes from store to customer and returns from customers to the store. According to the World Economic Forum, the rental industry accounts for up to 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Yes, it is a lot more sustainable than shopping fast fashion. However, we can't ignore its environmental impacts, no matter how small. We can combat this by renting less. Get a lot of fashion staples (pants, jackets, skirts, and shirts) you can wear across multiple styles.

3. Items can be delayed and arrive in poor shape.

Another problem you might need help with while using a rental service is delayed shipments and damaged clothing. Some rented clothes come wrinkled, with some holes in hit, or stained. These factors can make it challenging to wear rented items. 

4. It has limited economic access.

Only some can afford to rent clothes, mainly from luxury brands, as they are still expensive even though the retail price differs. An average person might not be able to afford a monthly rental subscription, which costs an average of $80.  

5. It has limited geographical access.

Also, people who live in rural and distant areas might not have access to clothing rental services because of logistics. Renting requires a shipping address and the internet, which these areas need help with. 

Barriers Facing Clothing Rental Services

Despite the many benefits of this sustainable option, some barriers still impact the rental industry's growth. One of these barriers is consumer reluctance, which refers to consumers' reluctance to test clothing rental services. 

One reason is an aversion to sharing clothes. Some people do not like sharing clothing and accessories with other people because they are unsure of the person's hygiene practices. Most consumers are uninterested in renting because they mistrust the cleanliness of the place and worry about odors and diseases transferred through rented clothes.

Another barrier to online clothing rental is consumer liability in case of damage or loss, which goes hand in hand with another barrier: lack of ownership. Rental consumers are liable to pay a fine for damages and losses, which can be offputting for many. Also, the lack of ownership is a problem because many consumers have a strong sense of ownership. 

Combining liability in case of damages and lack of ownership gives us two significant barriers to breakthrough. Consumers are more okay with losing or damaging their property because they can easily let it go. However, the reverse applies to rental services because rental stores demand accountability, especially for luxury brands.

Lastly, consumers are also concerned about ease of use. Some believe shopping is more straightforward than renting because of the issues they've experienced with some rental services. These issues include the limited size chart and styles, public opinions from friends and family about renting clothes, and a lack of understanding of use-oriented product service systems. 

Best Clothing Rental Services

1. Gwynnie Bee

Gwynnie Bee is another female-based clothing rental brand. They cater to all women of every size. The rental service has clothes for sizes 0 to 32. You can start your rental journey with Gwynnie because they offer a free one-month trial period. During the trial period, you can rent two items for a month. 

Gwynnie Bee's rental model offers clothing collections ranging from dinner wear to casual to fall outfits. You can even buy your favorite rented outfits at a discounted price. Their subscription plan depends on the quantity of items rented at a time. Renting ten items at a time costs $199.

2. Rent the Runway 

Rent the Runway is one of the top clothing rental services in America. It offers a wide range of clothing styles with two rental models: monthly and occasional subscriptions. The monthly subscription starts at $89, while the occasional subscription costs $30. 

Rent the Runway offers thousands of designer styles. With occasional renting, you can lock in an outfit before the day of the wedding, black-tie gala, or cocktail event. They have nice dresses like the Leena for Mac Duggal floral brocade dress for rent at $60, L'IDÉE Sirene dress for rent at $86, and Sau Lee's Ariana Gown for rent at $75. 

Even if you don't know what style suits you, Rent the Runway offers a personal stylist with your subscription to help make your experience seamless.

3. Switch 

Switch is a fashion accessories and designer jewelry rental brand. For as low as $55, you can rent designer bags and jewelry from brands such as Hermes, Gucci, Fendi, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Bottega Veneta, Valentino, and many more. 

Switch has two categories for its products: core piece and select piece. Core pieces are fashion items that have a retail price of $1,000 and above, while select pieces are items with an average retail value of $4,000

You can rent a core piece at a time for $41 per month and three core pieces for $79 per month. Switch rents a select piece for $146 per month and one select piece and three core pieces for $221 monthly. 

4. Armoire

Armoire is a clothing rental service where you get a personal stylist to help you rent designer items below retail value. They offer a style quiz to curate your personalized closet, give you options, and process shipment as soon as you make payment. 

Armoire also offers collections and brands to choose from. Some brands they offer include Milly, Yumi Kim, Paige, French Connection, Steve Madden, Joie, Boden, and Zuri. They have three subscription plans: $89/month to rent four items, $129/month to rent seven items, and $249 to rent six items with unlimited swaps during the rental period. You don't have to worry about shipping and cleaning fees, as Armoire takes care of them.

Conclusion

You don't need to follow the latest trends or buy from the hot new brands. Clothing rental services are an alternative sustainable fashion option to explore. We mentioned three online clothing rental brands you can explore to give you an idea of what to expect when looking for clothes to rent. Have fun looking gorgeous while protecting the planet and saving costs!