Clothing and dress rental services are quickly gaining popularity in Australia, and it’s easy to see why. Borrowing and renting clothing instead of purchasing garments is great for the planet and great for your wallet, especially when it comes to special occasion and formal wear. By participating in rental instead of buying new you are reducing the number of single-wear items in your wardrobe while helping to reduce the environmental impact of a piece of clothing. As a bonus, clothes rental also provides variety and wardrobe options you need to suit all occasions, without the commitment to purchase. From peer-to-peer services to the brands providing new styles on subscription, we’ve wrapped up the top platforms for renting or borrowing clothes in Australia.
1. GlamCorner
Clothes renting platform GlamCorner is your go-to for designer dresses. It is not peer-to-peer, so you’re renting the designer clothes from a company that buys the items and manages/ships them out to its customers. The brand says its aim is to support “designer labels by introducing brands to a larger market while offering a service that empowers every customer to reduce their individual contribution to landfill by borrowing clothing for once-off occasions as a sustainable alternative to purchasing and disposing afterwards.” GlamCorner includes a prepaid return bag with your item and takes care of the dry cleaning. Rental price ranges from $70-$150. GlamCorner is B Corp Certified.
2. All the Dresses
Need a fashion hit, fast? All the Dresses has done the legwork for you, claiming to bring together all the items available for hire in Australia into one beautifully fast website. Search over 5,000 items available for hire, from 25 of Australia’s best online rental boutiques. Mind. Blown.
3. The Volte website
The Volte is a high-end designer clothing and dress rental platform. The clothes are a bit more expensive as they’re a bit more exclusive. It is technically peer-to-peer but it seems more like legit businesses have set up shops on there to hire out clothes. The general lend period is 4 days and dry cleaning is included in the fee. Search by dress code, designers, trends or brands to find the perfect piece.
4. Style Theory
Melbourne-based Style Theory started out with a boutique in South Yarra which allowed shoppers to come, try and rent formal wear. Now available to shoppers around the country, the online platform allows you to browse garments by dress styles, occasions and designers to find the perfect outfit for your upcoming occasion. You can choose between a 4 day or 8 day rental and your dispatch dates to ensure you get it on time.
5. Rent a Dress
Rent a Dress wants to help renters make money out of their wardrobes and help shoppers to save money in the process. With over 3,000 items and 1,000 dress owners, the platform aims to create variety for Australian women, without them having to spend all their money to do so. Rent a Dress is a peer-to-peer service.
6. Dress Hire AU
Just as it sounds, the Dress Hire AU platform has your dress and formal clothing rental sorted. Established in 2015, Dress Hire AU has quickly became a go-to destination for Australian women wanting to wear the most up-to-date designer pieces. Director, Ellie Dunstan, created the business in her final year of university studying to become a Speech Pathologist. Special occasions were aplenty and so too were the high-end dresses. “I was spending thousands of dollars on dresses to only wear them once or not at all.” Search by occasion such as Ball, Black Tie, Cocktail, Formal, Race Day or even Pregnancy Friendly.
7. Designerex
Designerex calls itself the world’s first secure designer clothes renting app, by “combining the sharing economy and leading technology such as real-time ID verification with high-end designer clothing, enabling women to tap into underutilised designer clothes”. Yay! The prices are mid-range and they have the same designers you’ll find on the other platforms (looooots of Zimmermann to be rented out there!). There is both individual and business lenders on the platform.
8. RNTR.
Rent designer dresses from Australia’s top brands with RNTR. RNTR is a tech solution which is added to brands’ website so you can rent in-season garments direct from the brand. Check out the brand’s currently on offer here and then rent direct.
Searching for wedding or bridal wear? Check out where to shop for ethical and sustainable wedding dresses here.