The Best Rental Services For All Your Fashion Needs
When scrolling through your Instagram feed, it may seem that your favorite fashion influencers have never-ending wardrobes. In reality, there is a not-so-secret way they are able to constantly dress in new pieces. They don't buy — they rent. Clothing rental services are still relatively new to the general public, first coming to the spotlight in 2009 with the launch of Rent The Runway (via Relative Insight). There's nothing wrong with outfit repeating, but having a new outfit for every special occasion is much more exciting. Thankfully, with rental services, it is also now financially feasible.
Rental services are also better for the environment than buying a new piece for every special event in your life. Buying a clothing item that you will only wear once is a waste and will ultimately only add to the 92 million tons of textile waste generated globally each year (via Earth). Whether you are interested in fashion rental services for environmental impact, financial reasons, or a never-ending wardrobe, the reason to rent is valid.
The market now has hundreds of platforms for fashion rental, so which one is best for you? We have curated five fashion rental services and what wardrobe pieces they are best for based on customer reviews, the service's background, and their product offerings.
For handbags
"Renting a luxury bag will give you access to the 'luxury self' or luxury identity without the burden of the purchase price," fashion psychologist Dr. Aurore Bardey told Byrdie. Handbags are a great way to spice up any outfit, and handbag rental services like Vivrelle allow you to achieve the look at a fraction of the cost. While some luxury handbags are investment pieces, others are there to make a statement and may not hold value in your wardrobe. Vivrelle is there for those moments.
Vivrelle is a handbag and accessory rental service primarily known for its handbags that boasts 4.8 stars on Google reviews. They offer selections from the hottest luxury bag brands on the market, such as Bottega Veneta and Chanel. There are four membership tiers, but only the top three include bags. These tiers range from $99 to $279 per month, with the top tier allowing you to rent two luxury handbags at a time.
For jewelry
If you are wondering how some of the girls on your feed are layering their necks in gold Chanel jewelry, you are not alone! Oftentimes, their secret is a jewelry rental service.
One of the most popular jewelry rental services for fine jewelry and vintage pieces is Switch. Switch offers some of the most popular designer jewelry brands on the market, including Gucci, David Yurman, Chanel, and Christian Dior. Plans start at $45 per month, with the highest tier being $95 per month and allowing the rental of 3 pieces at once. The company has strict promises and guarantees to their customers and plenty of options, making this jewelry rental service a no-brainer.
For contemporary clothing
If you are always buying new pieces from brands like Free People and Anthropologie that end up collecting dust in your closet after one wear, you need to sign up for a contemporary clothing rental service. Nuuly is just that and serves up an affordable membership to rent all the "one and done" pieces you need. If you decide you really love a piece, you also have the option to buy it, making this service extra great! For only $88 per month, you can rent up to six clothing items. Subscribers of the service are seemingly huge fans, as #mynuuly has been used over 12,000 times on Instagram alone.
For designer clothing
The service that started it all, Rent The Runway, is the best fashion rental service if you are in the market for designer clothing. Rent The Runway customer Amanda Ferguson says that she has "saved so much time and money" with her RTR membership. Since she bought a membership to RTR in 2019, she has rented a variety of items totaling over $92,735 in value. The service has hundreds of top-designer brands to choose from, including Farm Rio, Ulla Johnson, Staud, Veronica Beard, and more.
Most pieces the service offers retail at over $200 a piece, so you are certain to save money renting over buying. The service offers three plans ranging from $94 to $235 a month, with the top plan allowing you to rent up to 16 pieces per month.
For unlimited rental
If you have commitment issues, we get it, and so does FashionPass. FashionPass allows unlimited rentals, with the highest tier allowing you to rent four clothing items and three accessories at once. As soon as you return an item, you can pick out something new to try. You can also purchase the items at a discount if you fall in love! The subscriptions range from $79 to $139 each month. The service boasts mostly contemporary names in the fashion world, such as Rebecca Minkoff, Beach Riot, Free People, and For Love & Lemons. The company has the reviews to back up its service, with over 573 five-star reviews on Google.