What’s the best way for eco-conscious fashionistas to showcase your green credentials? Why, to wear them on your sleeve — by hiring your outfit rather than buying something new.
Take Prime Minister’s wife Carrie Johnson, who even rented her £2,870 wedding dress for a mere £45 a day. Her husband, Carrie Johnson, followed her example and wore a rental suit to Cop26.
Boris and Carrie are in good company, with everyone from Holly Willoughby to Lady Amelia Windsor using dress-sharing platforms such as Hurr, My Wardrobe HQ and By Rotation to save the planet — 10 per cent of greenhouse gases are caused by the fashion industry — and some cash, all while looking wonderful.
This is what I found out. In June, I forgot the old adage “neither an borrower nor a lender are” and opened my closet, choosing seven dresses to loan to strangers via two rental agencies.
So popular has wardrobe sharing become that experts estimate this industry will be worth £2.3 billion by 2029, with some online clothing rental platforms seeing customers increase by 850 per cent in the past year.
However, there has been high-profile clothing borrowers. What’s the experience for clothes lenders?
This is what I found out. In June, I forgot the old saying “neither borrower nor lender be” and opened the wardrobe doors. Seven dresses were chosen to loan to strangers through two rental agencies.
Have I actually made a decent profit after five months? Was I just reminding you that you shouldn’t lend any item you don’t mind not seeing again? . .
Take Prime Minister’s wife Carrie Johnson, who even rented her £2,870 wedding dress for a mere £45 a day (pictured)
THE RENTAL COMPANIES
By Rotation was my first rental agency. This is a lending app which, for a commission fee of 15 per cent per rental — plus an additional 15 per cent charged to the borrower — allows borrowers and lenders to message each other directly. The dress must be either designer or on the high end High Street.
It is extremely easy to use. Within minutes, I created my profile and uploaded photos and information about my dresses. Although guidance is available, you can set your fees and select a rental period that’s usually between three and four days.
After you have submitted a request for a rental, the option to either send it or arrange for an in-person pickup is available.
Either offer cleaning and postage free of charge or separate charges. As you can see, it will greatly reduce your profits. In my case, I was able to earn as low as 18% from dry cleaning costs and postage.
As the app simply facilitates clothes sharing, it doesn’t take responsibility for any of your outfits except ‘on a case-by-case basis’.
My WardrobeHQ was the second company I chose. It is owned by Boris, Carrie and an industry leader. For a 40 per cent commission, plus a £15 handling fee per rental, you send them your dresses and they will take care of everything.
It involves arranging rental agreements, sending the rentals out via DPD carbon neutral courier, and cleaning them. Instead of hearing every rental individually, you receive a monthly statement.
DRY-CLEANING DISASTER ZONE
The dress: Rixo Simone yellow lace-trim midi dress, retail price £255, rental price £9 to £10 a day
Rotational rental company
Rent out the property four times for 14 days.
Total rental cost paid by customers: £134 plus By Rotation fee, p&p and cleaning.
Total I earned: £87.90 after commission, postage and cleaning.
It seems that this dress attracts disaster. Alice is the lady who rents my first frock. Alice is looking for something to wear for her pop-up store opening, and she inquires about renting it.
Although it’s not eco-friendly, I couldn’t refuse my first sale, and so the parcel is sent across London. When it gets back to me — four days late and after much chasing via the By Rotation messaging app — it is covered in red wine splashes and what looks like ketchup.
The dress: Rixo Simone yellow lace-trim midi dress, retail price £255, rental price £9 to £10 a day (pictured)
It is in my heart and I bring it to the dry cleaner. The first clean leaves it looking like it was in a brawl with Rioja. I then send it to the dry cleaner for another try. After that, it just about looks passable — by which time, it’s due for its next rental as a dress for a wedding guest.
I inform the borrower that there are faint staining and attach a photo. She is happy with this. It has red wine marks on the back when it is returned two days after she agreed to return it.
Back to the dry cleaner it goes, twice — and somehow comes back, after its fourth clean in two rentals (at £12 a time, and goodness knows what environmental cost with all those solvents, which is one of the main criticisms of clothes lending), looking virtually as good as new.
In both cases the borrower agreed to pay for the second cleaning — but it is entirely down to their goodwill.
Thankfully, the other two rentals — worn to a 21st birthday party and another summer wedding — pass without incident.
If my dress continues to rent out at this rate, I’ll have made the initial cost of the dress back in nine months — although goodness knows how many times I’ll have had to get it professionally cleaned!
MY DREAM DRESS- BUT A NIGHTMARE OUTCOME
The dress: The Vampire’s Wife The Falconetti emerald metallic silk dress, retail price £1,595, rental price £27 a day.
My Wardrobe HQ: Rental Company
Number of times rented out: Once — but it didn’t make it back home.
Total cost paid by rental customers: £0 (more of which later . . ?.
Total I earned: £0
My most valuable dress was missing. I got an email from my lender at the beginning of October. Worse, it had been lost in August, following its first ever rental — earning me nothing (you only get paid when the dress is returned).
I’d coveted this dress ever since seeing Kate Middleton wear it on an engagement in Dublin last year, and had convinced myself lending it out would allow me to afford it.
It was not My Wardrobe’s fault that the dress went missing, though I was surprised it took them so long to alert me. But, having done so I couldn’t fault their customer service.
Within days of admitting it was lost, I was paid back the full price of the dress, so I wasn’t left out of pocket.
But as Sacha Newell, founder of My Wardrobe HQ, pointed out to me, while they will pay out if a dress is not returned (charging the renter’s card for the loss), it’s not wise to rent out pieces that mean a lot to you.
‘We always say to vendors: “Only list items that you are happy to receive the replacement price for,” ’ she explains. ‘If it is a much-loved, special dress that you can’t replace, it’s probably not right for rental.’
Happily, after some hard detective work, I was able to recover my gown and repay My Wardrobe Headquarters for the compensation.
THE BEST SUMMMER FROCK TO USE FOR WEDDINGS
The dress: Reformation Nikita blue and white summer dress (left), retail price £248, rental price £9 per day.
Rotational rental company
There were four times that the rental was made, totalling 13 days.
Total rental cost to customers: £117 plus By Rotation fee, p&p and cleaning.
The dress: Reformation Nikita blue and white summer dress (left), retail price £248, rental price £9 per day (pictured)
Total I earned: £58.90 after commission, postage and cleaning.
This summer dress, unlike the yellow nightmare is easy to put on. The dress is never dirty, it’s sleeveless and rarely smells. I dry-clean it however.
Worn to four weddings by various renters and one wedding by me over the summer, the only downside was all that ecologically dubious cleaning, plus one rental which was returned unworn (or so I had to trust), because it didn’t fit the way they’d hoped — meaning I didn’t earn anything.
It would take me just more than a year to get my money back at this pace.
MIDDLE OF ROAD FLORAL NUMBER
The dress: Rixo Monet Spring meadow tiered maxi dress, retail price £295, rental price £9 per day.
Rotational rental company
Rent out the property twice, totaling eight days.
Total rental cost to customers: £72 plus By Rotation fee, p&p and cleaning.
Total I earned: £37.20 after commission, postage and dry cleaning.
The dress: Rixo Monet Spring meadow tiered maxi dress, retail price £295, rental price £9 per day (pictured)
The upside to managing your own rental is the ability to still wear the dress when it’s not being borrowed.
This was the first time I wore it to a summer wedding. It also served as a rental to another guest for an anniversary meal and to another bridesmaid.
Both transactions were worry-free for me, and re-used the same packaging I’d sent to post the dress back to me, which felt eco-friendly — and saved me buying new padded envelopes or boxes. At this rate I would have to rotate the dress for 2 years in order to get back my purchase price.
Never blame my sweet little earner
The dress: Alessandra Rich polka-dot silk midi, retail price £1,560; rental price £26 a day.
My Wardrobe HQ: Rental Company
No. of times that were rented: Twice for 14 days.
Alessandra Rich polka-dot silk midi, retail price £1,560; rental price £26 a day (pictured)
Total rental cost paid by customers: £342 plus p&p.
Total I earned: £187.20
The Duchess of Cambridge is a fan and this brand has been a big success. It was only two-thirds the price of retail, so if the rate continues, it will be my money back within 18 months.
A SEQUINNED SPARKLER IN THE FESTIVE SESSION
The dress: Needle & Thread sequin diamond mini, retail price £360, rental price £9 a day.
My Wardrobe HQ: Rental Company
No. of Rentals: Two times, maximum eight days.
Needle & Thread sequin diamond mini, retail price £360, rental price £9 a day (pictured)
Total paid by rental customers: £72 plus postage.
Total I earned: £25.20
It’s a disappointed result, but I doubt that I will ever be able make my money back in the next two-and-a half years. This sparkling winter gown will be very fashionable over Christmas, I believe.
RENTERS ARE NOT TAKING PINK BY PUFF SLEEVE MIDI
The dress: Rixo Delilah puff-sleeved midi dress, retail price £275, rental price £8 a day.
My Wardrobe HQ: Rental Company
Number of times the property has been rented: 0.
Rixo Delilah puff-sleeved midi dress, retail price £275, rental price £8 a day (pictured)
Total paid by rental customers: £0
Total I earned: £0
I’d have expected this hot pink number to make me some decent money over the summer months, during wedding season — but if it didn’t earn me any money then, it’s very unlikely to make me anything over the winter or even next spring or summer, when it will be very much last year’s look.
MY verdict
Total value of dresses: £4,588
My earnings: £396.40, or 8.6 per cent — not a bad return on my initial investment!
Will I continue doing this job? Even though some of my earnings were disappointing and one was temporarily lost, I am still able to answer that question. It is possible. Yes. Yes. It beats even the stock market with 8.6 percent over 4 months. However, it’s a lot more trouble.
There are some caveats. However, I have learned to not lend anything valuable and to always charge for cleaning and postage.
Although I liked sending them out dresses, it was simply because I could wear them between rental periods. However, this is my tip to anyone considering joining the rental industry: Make sure to butter your dry cleaner before you start.