Is Renting Designer Clothing A Good Idea Or A Recipe For Disaster?

by Jessica Sweet

Designer clothes are beautiful, well-crafted and give people a better impression of you, and as such it’s understandable that many people want to wear them. However, the high cost makes designer labels inaccessible for many fashion lovers.

With this in mind, the fashion market has started offering rental services, where consumers can hire designer clothes and wear them for a set period of time before returning them. This can be a great option for those who want to look their best on a budget, but it might also lead customers to worry about ruining clothes and having to pay a hefty bill.

Rented clothes have been around for many years, with suits and expensive gowns often hired out to those who want them for a specific occasion, but in recent years the practice has become more widespread.
In this article I explore the benefits of renting designer clothing and how it could be the best way for you to wear the clothing you love at a price you can afford.

There Are Loads Of Designer Clothing Rental Firms Out There

Designer clothing rental is still a relatively youthful sector of the fashion market, but there’s already a wide range of companies out there for you to choose from. There are two types of clothing rental firm: companies that rent their collection of clothes, or peer-to-peer platforms that allow you to rent items from individuals that have them and don’t wear them often. Both options offer a vast choice, meaning that you’ll be able to find the clothes that you love at prices you won’t regret.

Renting Clothes Is A Sustainable Option

The fashion industry is incredibly wasteful and bad for the environment, so it’s understandable that fashion fans are keen to find ways that they can reduce their impact on our planet. One of the best ways you can do this is by reducing your waste and extending the lifespan of your clothes, but this can mean that you end up wearing unfashionable ensembles. Renting your clothes is a more sustainable way for you to wear the latest designs whilst also ensuring that clothes aren’t thrown away as often. Some companies even use bicycle couriers for customers in their local area, making the solution even more sustainable.

Almost Every Brand’s Clothes Can Be Rented

From haute couture through to independent Instagram favourites, there are many brands out there to choose from when you’re renting designer clothes. As a result, you’ll be spoiled for choice and won’t feel any regret that you’re not buying your clothes outright. Even less widely known brands are rising to greater success thanks to clothing rental platforms, meaning that you can not only wear the latest looks when you use clothing rental companies, but also keep your finger firmly on the fashion pulse.

Renting Means Less Upkeep

The cost of your designer garments includes more than just the initial purchase price: there’s also the cost of cleaning, maintaining, storing and even potentially insuring your designer clothes to consider. All of these costs quickly add up, leaving you with a hefty bill even if you don’t wear your clothes that often. When renting designer clothes, all you have to pay for is the rent. You can get rented designer clothes insured just in case you damage them, and depending on the company you rent through you may not even have to pay for cleaning the garment after you use, meaning you won’t have to go to the trouble of having it dry cleaning. Whilst the cost for individual garment rental might seem steep, the cost-per-wear will be significantly lower than if you bought the item outright.

Most Companies Give You The Option To Buy Items You Love

Whilst this isn’t true of peer-to-peer renting platforms, many companies allow you to rent an item and, if you like it, to purchase it from them instead of returning it. This means that you can, effectively, try your clothes out before you buy them. If you’re not certain you can return it, whereas if you wear it for a night or two and discover that it’s exactly what you want then you can buy it and enjoy it as much as you like.

It Could Be The Future

There’s an argument that in the future, renting clothes will become the norm. With prices steadily rising and becoming unobtainable for today’s consumers, it unsurprising that many experts predict that the fashion market will adapt by creating more collections that are for rent, not sale. As such, by renting designer clothes now you’ll be staying one step ahead of this latest trend and able to enjoy the clothes you want at a price you love.

There Are Other Options

For those who are unsure about renting designer clothes, there are other options out there. One great way to enjoy quality designer gear at a reduced price is to buy second-hand designer clothing, which will give you the same quality products for less. When buying used designer clothes, it’s important that you check that your clothes are real, as otherwise you could be wasting your money on cheap imitations that aren’t very good quality. Take the time to research the features of the brand you’re buying to make sure you invest in real designer products that’ll make you look good for years to come.