Right now my favourite items in my wardrobe belong to someone else and I'm cool with it. Pt 2
This is part two of a bigger piece I’m doing that explores my experience with fashion rental platforms in the UK featuring some really interesting interviews with the amazing women who have set up the various platforms.
Excerpt from Part 1: ‘I’ve tried out many of the UK’s main rental platforms…and I am a huge fan of this redefinition of ‘newness’ within a fashion context. As a consultant working within the fashion retail space – circular models and ideas that move us away from our addiction to overconsumption and ownership appeal to me. I’m here for a mode of access to fashion that gives all the same thrill factor but that keeps clothes in circulation and passing through many wardrobes, preventing the need to buy new. I’m definitely here for that.’
Because I’m personally fascinated with fashion rental I decided to interrogate the different models and experiences across peer to peer and subscription services. If you missed my last post you might enjoy going back to read about the ins and outs of renting from fashion-forward subscription platform onloan here.
Image above: courtesy of who what wear official fashion partner of Hurr. Dress available to rent on hurr very soon!
In this post I’m looking at Peer to Peer fashion rental and talking to Victoria Prew ; Co Founder of Hurr, and Eshita Kabra; Founder of By Rotation…
hurr
So how does it work in a nutshell?
Hurr is an invite only community with an impressive range of super covetable and sought after designer and cult brand pieces available to rent. They describe themselves as ‘a collective of forward thinking women who believe renting makes economic and environmental sense… It’s a platform that allows you to access great fashion for a fraction of the retail price…’ at the same time as turning your own wardrobe pieces into investments with on going earning potential.
What did I think? My verdict on the rental experience with Hurr?
So far I have borrowed two Cinta the Label dresses – one of which I took away on a work trip with me and one of which I have worn to several fashion week events and presentations. I really love that Hurr use Repack and that there are so so many items on their platform that appeal to me. This is pretty impressive for a peer to peer platform because it means they are nurturing a community with great wardrobes and to an extent likeminded style preferences. I also love how intuitive and user friendly the site itself is. You feel well informed and confident that you and your wardrobe is in safe hands because the FAQ’s are thorough and so (seemingly) is the I.D verification process you have to go through before you can lend or rent. Aesthetically speaking this platform would work well for anyone used to shopping on the likes of Farfetch, Netaporter or Studio B perhaps, but it’s arguably cooler still – because it’s rental and that affords you the ability to have your cake and eat it in more ways than one.
Interview: Victoria Prew Founder
Play the video to listen in to a snippet of my interview with Victoria where she introduces us to Hurr and we talk about sustainability creds and who the Hurr girl is.
What are Hurr’s Sustainability Creds?
‘Hurr was founded with sustainability at it’s core. Renting is a great way to be more sustainable given that one of the best things you can do to reduce environmental impact is extend the active use of your wardrobe i.e one dress shared 20 x means…’
Who is the Hurr Girl?
‘…She is sharing and caring, fashion forward but conscious about her environmental footprint, and entrepreneurial.’
For the full video interview head over to instagram stories here.
How long can you rent a Hurr item for?
You can rent each item for a seven day period, up to one month (7, 14, 21 or 28 days). The beauty of it is that the longer you rent, the larger the discount!
What happens as a loaner if you return your item later than expected and as a renter how can I be sure my items are safe?
HURR will charge a £25 late fee each day after the last day of your rental so that’s a pretty keen incentive to be punctual with returns!
As a Renter, Hurr is clear when you sign up that it is expected that you treat rented items as if they are your own.There is an optional £5 damage protection fee that you can select to ensure that minor stains and damage are covered. However If the item is damaged beyond repair or never returned users will be charged for the estimated market value of the item . Hurr stress that you are in charge as a loaner and you can accept or decline rental requests as you like but they encourage loaners and renters to communicate with each other if they have any questions.
What about cleaning pieces?
It is the lender’s responsibility to dry clean each item to ensure it’s in impeccable condition for the next rental.
How much can I earn from renting my wardrobe?
You set the price but Hurr recommend charging 15-20% of the retail price per week.
by rotation – The one with the app!
I spoke to Eshita about starting up By Rotation and the exciting plans for the new app soon to launch!
So how does it work in a nutshell?
It’s a peer to peer rental service which means you get to rent other people’s clothes not a collection or inventory held and selected by the platform itself. It’s aim is to become the most accessible community hub of people who are like minded and who trust other people to look after their things. Users hold all the power and responsibility much like with Airbnb i.e they arrange pick ups and drop offs between each other.
By Rotation has partnered with on-demand London delivery partner peyk, providing Rotators with a 20% discount on the serivice. In another fabulous addition – Eco-friendly cleaning solutions and repair services by Clothes Doctor are also available on the mobile app.
What did I think? My verdict on the rental experience with by Rotation?
So far I have borrowed a colourful floral Rixo dress and gorgeous Stine Goya ochre velvet jacket! I’ve also just been delivered a wonderful pink Rotate dress which I intend to wear to a conference.
The items were well kept and I’ve loved wearing them so far, having had lots of occasion to – the Rixo dress I actually wore 4 times in just under a week to a variety of different occasions from supper clubs to speaking on a live panel to a meeting for example. The dress has actually been my most worn from those I have rented Peer to Peer.
Having attended a By Rotation event where many of the communities items available for rent were being showcased I could see first hand that there were some seriously covetable designers and pieces on offer; from Innika Choo to Staud and Rotate.
I must admit though, that initially I did struggle a little with the desktop platform itself and the nature of the user generated imagery which varied quite broadly in terms of quality and format. Sometimes it was difficult to be certain whether the piece would suit me based on the image.
That said – change is afoot and excitingly the mobile app has just launched! I have to be transparent in that because it only just launched, I have not had too much time to play with it. But so far it promises a great viewer and user experience and if the platform’s look and feel mirrors their instagram I am sure it will be a treat to continue using. As far as I am aware this is the only UK rental platform with a specifically designed mobile app at the moment. I can imagine that for those that are fiends for convenience , or used to using depop this puts By Rotation at an advantage!
I cant wait to see this platform and community grow and to see what people upload to rent as we move into autumn and winter!
Interview: Eshita Kabra Founder
Why did you start By Rotation?
I created By Rotation after realising wanting to look new and special every day on my honeymoon was in fact contributing to what should be the world’s first problem: waste.
What are your most popular rental pieces?
Given we launched just before summer, top items have been for the holiday wardrobe: The sold-out everywhere Jacquemus Le Chiquito bag and summer dress of 2019: Innika Choo Iva Biigdres dress.
How do you manage quality control of the pieces that are uploaded on the site in terms of the quality, style and upkeep of items that can be uploaded by the community?
We monitor all user profiles and listings in order to ensure that they follow our community guidelines ant the new app will use verified profiles. We are open to all mid to high end fashion items regardless of their age, season. We do however ensure all our listings have user generated photography. This at times may seem challenging for potential renters, but we like to stress the fact that this is a community experience, not a shopping website.
Are you concerned about the arrival of Rent the Runway in the UK or do you feel the offerings are sufficiently different and why?
Given that we are a peer to peer platform that has a focus on sustainability and community, we believe we are sufficiently different. On a side note, I was recently in NYC for my job (I work full-time at a hedge fund) and to see my sister, who is a RTR user. It was incredible to see how convenient (and apparently addictive) they have made the whole user experience! I just don’t like how wasteful they are and thus do not want that for By Rotation.
Our upcoming mobile app launching very soon will have much better viewer experience!
Do you have insurance for any damage to items or is that totally the responsibility of the lender/ renter
While there have been no incidences of damage or theft as yet, we have policies and procedures to resolve any conflicts between two Rotators and also guarantee the market value of the item on a case-by-case basis. As our platform grows, we will be offering further insurance.
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I hope you’ve enjoyed finding out more about peer to peer rental and that you’ll come back for the next instalment of this series which will be focussed on the UK’s first baby capsule wardrobe rental! Bring on the questions about spillages and stains!
Emma xX
