CIRCULAR SHOPPING: WHY RENTAL?
Rental is now a la mode. It gives women the freedom to be creative with their look and wear what they want to wear, not what they have to commit to wearing multiple times. It takes the pressure out of shopping and puts the fun into personal styling. Think of it as a fashion version of a one-night stand – all the fun, none of the commitment.
Leading influencers are regularly relying more on dress rental and bag hire for events and everyday, as everything will be immortalized on social media, content must always be fresh. Their wardrobes will often be overflowing already, so circular shopping is the best way to enjoy the piece, without having to give it home.
Image: Cecilia @no7 wearing London Solace rented from Style Carousel
PRELOVED CIRCULAR SHOPPING
This leads me to my next subject – preloved. In 2021 Thredup quoted that 118 million people tried reselling for the first time, compared to 36 million in 2020. So what lead to this massive 3x increase in such a short period of time? Raise your hand if you did a wardrobe clear out during the pandemic…
Data shows that people not only wanted to cleanse their space, but also to feel more emotional attachment to their belongings, keeping their loved pieces and letting go of ‘stuff’, which has become even easier with the rise of super user-friendly platforms such as Vestiaire. This was also seen in the growth and support of smaller independent brands during the last couple of years, who command a deeper connection with their customers. As a result, the shift from brands selling wholesale to direct to consumer was seismic.
Image: Shiga Lin wearing Zimmerman booked through Style Carousel
