Rent The Runway, High End Designer Clothes At Affordable Prices

Car rental agencies figured this concept out years ago and it obviously works well since most of them are still in business.

What if you could rent the car of your dreams to take you on your dream vacation or far away business trip at a nominal cost?

For those of us who have rented cars over the years, not only to enjoy driving in a luxurious vehicle that we currently can’t afford but also to protect the wear and tear on our daily driver, we absolutely love the concept.

So what if you are a clothes horse and are infatuated with high end designer brands but can’t afford to purchase them or given their exorbitant price, justify buying then, what can you do?

Please put your clothes on. No, not that outfit, the other one. We would like to introduce you to Rent The Runway.

Rent the Runway is an online service that provides designer dress and accessory rentals. Rent the Runway was started by Jennifer Hyman and Jennifer Fleiss, who met at Harvard Business School and launched the company in November 2009. Initially a purely e-commerce company, it later opened brick-and-mortar retail locations in New York City, Chicago, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Los Angeles’.

We kind of, sort of, maybe get it.

We think the company can explain it better than we can.

At their enticing site renttherunway.com they gladly explain, “Rent the Runway is a fashion company with a technology soul. Powered by a transformative business model, proprietary technology, a unique reverse-logistics operation and some of the smartest people on earth, we’re in a position to challenge old systems and rewrite new rules. By giving people access to remarkable luxury experiences, we’re changing the meaning of ownership — and revolutionizing retail in the process.

While many life necessities have evolved into the 21st century (music, movies, car rides, hotel rooms), the closet has been left behind. By rethinking it, we’re championing a new model and reinventing retail to be smarter and more in line with how we actually live our lives. We exist because we believe a beautiful product shouldn’t only be experienced by owning it.”

fciwomenswrestling.com, femcompetitor.com article, renttherunway.com photo credit

We feel like we are getting closer to understanding the concept because we would really love to move to the next phase which is to embrace the concept.

Okay, here we go.

Customers can rent one of Rent the Runway’s designer clothing for a 4- or 8-day period for as low as 10% of the retail price through their traditional platform called RTR Reserve. Rent the Runway carries apparel in sizes 0 to 22, depending on the designer.

Each dress rental includes a back-up size at no additional cost to ensure fit. Customers can get a second dress style with their order for an additional price. Rent the Runway provides customers with a pre-paid, pre-addressed package to return the dress, and offers insurance at a small fee to protect against accidents. Rental prices include the dry cleaning and care of the garments.

In March of 2016 the company launched Unlimited, the first subscription to fashion that gives women access to designer clothes and accessories for a flat monthly fee.

Through Unlimited, customers select 4 pieces on the Rent the Runway site and can keep each item for as long as they want or swap any or all of them out for new selections.

In October 2017, Rent the Runway announced a new, lower-priced tier of membership called RTR Update. Customers select 4 pieces from Rent the Runway and keep them for a month. At the end of each month, subscribers are able to select four new items and return their previous items via mail.

Rent the Runway also rents accessories, including jewelry and handbags, and sells “essentials,” including lingerie, tights, shapewear, and cosmetics.

Not only is it starting to make sense, it’s starting to make very good sense.

Do you feel that this is a good idea?

If you still have questions, here is their FAQ link: https://help.renttherunway.com/hc/en-us

Let’s listen to what others are saying.

On October 16, 2017 the respected washingtonpost.com educates, “Rent the Runway began eight years ago as a rental service for formal gowns, cocktail dresses and bejeweled accessories.

Now the company is doubling down on its efforts to appeal to more women, more often.

Beginning Monday, the New York-based service is expanding its subscription program for everyday items, including pants, jackets and sweaters, with a new option that allows customers to rent four items each month for a flat rate of $89. A service the company began last year offers up to four items at a time, with no monthly limit, for $159 per month.

The idea, says chief executive Jennifer Hyman, is to help women pare down their wardrobes. Instead of buying new items each season, they can rent them — and then ship them back when they’re done.”

The clouds are starting to part as the old pedestrian buttons are starting to unfold.

Some of the popularity of a concept like this is consistent with any innovative marketing idea.

Clothing industry experts say the constant chronicling of our lives on social media, combined with the willingness to share the most personal of items, including cars and homes, has made it more palatable for people to borrow the clothes they wear.

The average Rent the Runway user is 33 years old, and 90 percent of them are working professionals clustered in large cities.

Some influencers are embracing the concept.

The influential Jillian D’Onfro from businessinsider.com shares, “Over the past two months, I’ve fallen in love with a new retail service that gives me unfettered access to gorgeous clothes and jewelry from designers like Tory Burch and Jason Wu.

From a customer perspective, it’s worked well the past few months. And it has completely changed the way I view my wardrobe.”

This is starting to make sense for about 6-10% of the population. If you fall into that category then you might want to take a closer look.

In terms of pricing, one the designers mentioned above, Mr. Tory Burch who’s Alice Dress has been “reduced” to $2,449, places some perspective on how expensive designer clothes can be.

Are you still breathing?

Please don’t snicker. It was originally priced at $3,498 and in all fairness if you did snicker, you’re probably not a Rent The Runway type of customer anyway right?

But if you have the type of occupation that calls for attending high end functions or you have the career calling that demands you dress in the highest end attire like a Party Planner, Fashion Blogger or the like, this might work out well for you and more important, look fantastic on you.