As the fashion industry moves away from fast fashion and puts more emphasis on sustainable practices, the fashion rental sector has seen a palpable rise in interest, with increasing numbers of rental platforms entering the market. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by retailers as John Lewis, Flannels and Karen Millen have all launched rental offerings. Meanwhile, rental platforms have joined forces with retailers and brands to bring new collections to market.
One example is the recent partnership with UK rental platform Hirestreet and high street footwear retailer Schuh. On 8th August Hirestreet announced its first shoe rental collection with Schuh as it responds to increasing customer demand for shoes to match its occasionwear. This form of rental is starting to bear fruit for fashion businesses too.
Emily Gordon-Smith, content director at trend forecasting and analysis specialists Stylus, recognises the increasing popularity of shoe rental. “It’s obviously not as clear cut an opportunity as apparel rental but hiring of footwear for special occasions is definitely a way to go and mirrors the general trend in the fashion sharing economy being very occasion-led,” she told Drapers.
Similarly, Sacha Newall, co-founder of luxury rental and resale platform My Wardrobe HQ (MWHQ), notes the growth of the sector. She added that following the pandemic heel rentals have soared and since founding the business in 2021, footwear rental has “grown incredibly quickly”, undergoing 100% growth year on year since the platform was founded in 2019.
“It hasn’t reached the critical mass of the middle market yet but for early adopters it’s now definitely something in their consideration, so it has now fully launched as its own category.”
My Wardrobe HQ co-founder Sacha Newell has witnessed footwear rental undergo 100% growth year on year since the platform was founded
While growth is evident, businesses are being hit with challenges including damage to product when it is returned and a hurdle with customer mindset regards the hygiene of renting shoes.
“We’ve always done shoe rental,” says Maria Loria, founder and owner of rental platform Wear My Wardrobe Out. However, Loria quickly noticed that even her designer footwear was being returned with damage, such as significant scuffs or grass stains.
“Shoes that people had worn to a wedding would often return in poor condition, so I might have to get them reheeled,” she explained. Wear My Wardrobe Out is a small company with less than £80,000 turnover per annum and fewer than 10 freelancers across the whole business [who work within marketing, editorial, wardrobe and photography], and Loria soon realised that certain shoes such as kitten heels or those made primarily with suede were not economically viable to rent. She has taken to renting more durable silhouettes such as platforms.
Elsewhere, Newall observes that one thing holding customers back from a rented Jimmy Choo or Louboutin is hygiene.
“But there really isn’t any ick factor with shoes,” she explained. “Everything goes through our Ozone treatment [a gas treatment that focuses on sanitation rather than superficial cleaning].”
Cleanliness is measured in bacteria colony forming units (CFU) and Newall states that a dry clean can still leave as many as 1,000 CFU on garments, while Ozone reduces garments’ CFU to less than 10. While 1,000 CFU is not considered dangerous [100,000 is infection level], Ozone means shoes are “cleaned to a biological grade” according to Newall. The treatment costs between £2-4 per item.
Hirestreet will also use an Ozone chamber to maintain its shoe collection with Schuh, which features seven core styles ranging from £5 for a five-day rental to £10 for a ten-day rental.
Customers can rent the Hirestreet x Schuh collection for £5 for a five-day rental or £10 for a ten-day rental
Despite this, in Loria’s experience there are two camps of renters. Those who want a box fresh item “who could probably afford the item new anyway,” and those who are die-hard designer fans that just want an opportunity to wear the shoe, where hygiene isn’t as important.
As rental platforms tackle these hurdles, there are new avenues that can be explored to maximise growth.
Gordon-Smith feels that heel rental should only represent a foot in the door for the sector.
“I don’t think that [shoe rental] is exclusive to formal footwear,” she said. “High end and hard-to-find sneakers hold equal luxury appeal and, as we know, the resale market in sneakers is still booming so why not add this lucrative yet casual element into the mix.”
Loria agrees that there is value in a fully circular sneaker subscription service. “Those die-hard people who love the latest trainers and don’t wear high heels; it would be great as you can upcycle trainers quite easily,” she explained.
This is something Hirestreet and Schuh are looking into following the recent partnership. West stated that the duo want to “expand beyond just occasionwear rental over the coming months, so at that point we will review adding additional lines to the collection”.
Hirestreet’s founder Isabella West is looking to branch out beyond occasionwear shoe rental in the future
Meanwhile, Wear My Wardrobe Out’s Loria has responded to a new demand from customers to purchase shoes from the platform. Loria generally hand repairs wear and tear herself and for a shoe worth £300-350, she would sell it for £50-70. As such, she decided to start letting pieces go if customers requested them. She considered this only after they had had five or six wears and may not have retained their original quality.
“The resale price would reflect the RRP and the wear and tear to get their residual value to ensure the buyer is still getting value for money and a pair of shoes with some significant wear left in them,” she said.
Although footwear rental presents more challenges than apparel due to the likelihood of damaged product being returned and overcoming customer mindsets regards cleanliness, the increased demand for rental items and its sustainability draw suggests that there is growth to be had in the sector.
