The new suggestion about clothing is that people will be renting clothes, and it is going to replace fast fashion within the next 10 years. There are many different companies that are now renting clothes at a monthly subscription fee which allows consumers to have new clothing in their wardrobe without having to spend as much money as they would if they had bought the product and it is much healthier for the environment. Some even include free dry cleaning and rental insurance, which is also included within the price, so you know the clothing is going to be clean and not be damaged when receiving the clothes.
Some positives of renting clothes are that you can choose what plan fits for you better, this could be price of the package deal where you can alter how much you get product wise but also the cost you are willing to pay. This could be from having 4 items to unlimited items a month with prices ranging from $30 to $80. The brand that I am looking at I RTR which also has some perks for their clients where they can swap items as often as they want. They also have free shipping for the product to get to the client. There is something they call a members-only discount where the customer can decide to buy the product if the client really likes it and think that they can’t let go of it.
However, there is negatives for renting clothing as you do not who has worn the clothing before which means it could be dirty. Which means that you may decide to wash the clothing before but that is more work and you may as well just buy the clothing. There is also the issue of sizing, some clothes could be from different brands so you will need to have had items from said brand to know what your size is. Especially if you are a plus size woman you can be different sizes in different shops and brands.
On the other hand, buying products themselves is also a negative as you are constantly spending money on having the newest products and it will take up much more of your wardrobe. Then you will be left with products from last season which you won’t wear and will go to land fill which effects the environment.
Overall, I personally do not like the idea of renting clothing, it just seems like there is putting a lot of faith into the brand that they are going to be cleaning the products. But also, if the product does not fit it will cost to post the product back to get a new size and even that might cost extra to have a new size.
Sarah Ervine - Fashion Marketer 