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A rental fashion revolution is tackling the industry’s sustainability problem

Renting an outfit is fast becoming the answer to tackling the fashion industry’s sustainability problem, offering an environmentally friendly way to dress amidst the current climate crisis.

We’re all very much aware that sustainable fashion is on the rise. In the last decade, the industry has embarked upon a massively progressive period of change, ditching traditional production methods in favour of cruelty-free and eco-friendly alternatives.

But you knew that already didn’t you? If you didn’t, even though it’s all anyone can talk about at the moment, click here for more info because I’m here to give you a run-down on rental fashion and why it’s the next best thing in tackling the industry’s sustainability problem.

Fast fashion has come under a lot of fire over and over again for contributing to climate change recently with cheap, mass-made products that are often unethical and highly damaging for the planet.

Thankfully however, as major and independent brands alike are realising, there are plenty of ways to sell stylish items without causing suffering to animals, endangering workers, or destroying the environment. And rental fashion is one of them.

Renting an outfit is changing the way we shop and in doing so, has fast become the answer to reducing waste and being more considerate towards the earth.

It’s also a lot more than simply using one of the various websites available to us now such as Hurr and Girl Meets Dress which lend designer items to people for a discounted price. Despite the fact this is incredibly forward thinking in dealing with the issue of throwaway-culture during event season when people splurge on clothes that they’re most likely to only wear once, I don’t think it’s quite good enough.

Hear me out. Although it’s definitely a step in the right direction, what about those of us who still can’t afford the rental prices? It’s not exactly cheap to borrow a Dior dress for a night.

If we really want to limit our fast fashion intake, our best bet is to push for more rental services from lower-end brands and chains: chains that are constantly churning out thousands upon thousands of the same item in a very short time span just because it’s trending on Instagram for example. That way, if you must keep buying from these stores, at least it’s that little bit less detrimental for our environment.

I digress. Essentially, we have the websites. We have thrift stores, kilo sales, and apps like Depop, but what about all the high-street chains and online retailers that are still contributing to climate change? What’s being done about it? Something, finally and, while it’s been rather slow to take off, it’s starting to gain traction. Urban Outfitters was actually one of the first mass-retailers to get on board with rental fashion back in July when it created Nuuly, a website with a set subscription fee that lets you wear clothes like you own them for a month before returning them.

And H&M (which also owns Cos, Cheap Monday, Monki, ARKET, and Weekday) has now introduced a new in-store rental initiative in Sweden which allows customers to pay £28 a week for access to a collection of over 50 items that they must return or purchase once 30 days are up.

Other than halting clothing production altogether, this seems like a pretty good solution to me and I hope to see more brands filling the gap in the rental market with circularity in the future. From now on, why don’t we make it our mission to share more – it’s the least we can do to save our planet.

Update 11/02/20: As preconceptions of rental fashion continue to be discarded, the practice is gaining more and more popularity amongst major retailers.

The ‘wear-once-and-done’ approach to fashion – fuelled by the potent fusion of toxically low-priced fast fashion items, the non-stop trend cycle, and Insta’s ‘outfit of the day’ hashtag – is quickly becoming a thing of the past, as the industry comes to terms with consumer’s need for newness alongside their eco-conscious values.

One of the most significant retailers getting on board with this progress is Selfridges, which has already hosted a Depop pop-up and Vestiaire Collective Space as part of its sustainablity initiative.

Now, the department store is introducing a HURR space in its Contemporary Studio where, for 6 months, shoppers will be able to try on and borrow items for 4-8 days that are set to rotate on a weekly basis. Sustainable fashion panel talks, interactive workshops, and styling sessions are also up for grabs, so head on over there and get involved!

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