RENTALS AND THRIFTINGS: A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION TO FASHION

Fashion Value Chain

July 19, 2022
9 min read

People want to go all over the place through their own fashion and which leads them to unnecessary buying which has a lot of impact on the ecosystem of the world. Recently designers, manufacturers and stylists have started producing sustainable textiles for the same , but people did not get much variation and satisfaction for their fashion. Rentals or thriftings are making that easier where the consumers are fully going into the fashion and making a statement, also on the other hand sustainability is taken care of where the garments can be reworn by the other people also; either by taking on rent or selling it at a lower price then they bought and shift it to others for their fashion needs.

Keywords: rental, thrifting, sustainability, environment, consumers, fashion, future

Introduction

William has quoted that “ Waste isn’t waste until we waste it”. This quote goes very well with sustainability. Sustainable fashion is an all-inclusive term describing products, processes, activities, and actors (policymakers, brands, consumers) aiming to achieve a carbon-neutral fashion industry, built on
equality, social justice, animal welfare, and ecological integrity. Sustainable fashion reduces your carbon footprint. Sustainable brands on the other side more often use materials from natural or recycled fabrics that require significantly less to no chemical treatment, less of water, less energy and no
fertilizers or pesticides to grow. Unlike ethical fashion, the term “sustainable fashion” tends to concentrate more on the environmental aspect of production. While it does not centre as much on workers’ well-being as ethical fashion, it does examine how the fashion threatens human health in an environmental context.

Rental fashion

There are many issues arising from the ever-growing fast fashion industry. Fashion rental could help reduce the environmental burdens of the fashion

industry and improve accessibility among society to sustainable fashion. It works by rotation, for example, is a peer-to-peer service, so private lenders and renters manage the process themselves, either posting or meeting up to exchange items, and taking care of the cleaning (under brand guidelines) with no interference – unless there’s a problem – from the business.

Rental fashion has been proven to give pocket friendly pricing. Choosing rental shopping also gives customers more varieties in a limited budget hence meeting the fashion needs. Renting also saves your closet space as you do not own the product. Also you have the surety that you are not going to be made to wear the same garment again. Rental fashion also allows you to feel the lavish lifestyle
by carrying the product on yourself

Also the very important factor, that it helps in protecting Environment. There are a lot of carbon emissions emitted while manufacturing, dyeing, printing and finishing the fabrics. Rental fashion helps less usages of the raw materials and buying individual products, which further helps in less carbon emissions. Also people will shop less which will further decrease the waste level of the products
bought.

But there are some disadvantages as well; as you do not own the product and everytime you rent a product, you have to pay for the expenses. Customers also have to take care of the dates, delays, cancellations, returns,tempering of the product, etc.

There are many rental brands for fashion which have taken over the consumer buying preferences specially for their special occasions which has been observed to be beneficial for both the buyer and the seller. Some of these brands have really taken over the market as per their target consumers. Some of them are reviewed in the article

Popin Designer provides Wedding dress on hire to the customers who want to look great in wedding functions and parties, but a designer dress seems unaffordable to many people. They provide quality wedding & party wear clothes for Men and Women from Mumbai that fits directly into the budget of
every client.

Rent it BAE says that, “We believe every woman has a right to look good- at all times you may not be a celebrity so what? You sure can dress like one! At

Rent it bae, we take great joy in helping you reinvent your closet. From now on, you will never have to repeat clothes!” Date the Ramp is another rental clothing and accessories shop which provides celeb style fashion on rentals to revamp the customers and feel the life lived by a celebrity.

Pernia’s Pop up Shop is the ultimate fashion designer website with premium brands curated under one platform. Curating over 200 designers from all over India, Pernia’s Pop-Up Shop is the one-stop address for all your wardrobe needs ranging from Indian designer clothes online to accessories online. From Designer Ethnic Clothing to indo-western to Designer Contemporary wear, Pernia’s Pop-Up Shop has everything to suit one’s personal style and preferences whether it is a casual, formal, semi-formal occasion.

Thrifting

It can take months and even years for the materials to fully break down in landfills! By choosing to buy secondhand clothing instead of brand new, you reduce waste and help the planet. In this way, thrift shopping is the ultimate way to live out the “reduce, reuse, recycle” motto! Thrifting has gained a lot of pull recently, populating many peoples’ wardrobes with secondhand clothing. Thrifting for clothing has been around for a long time as an easy way to get access to clothes that people no longer need for considerably cheaper than theyoriginally sold at stores.

Thrifting is one of the easy ways to go green and reduce wastage. Thrifting can also help oneself to own a self curated kind of wardrobe with good quality low priced products. Also it is beneficial to people since one time used products or now not liking the product can be sold and saved. Thrifting also gives a new approach to one’s waste as a new product which is bought by a buyer .

Thrift shopping is advantageous for the environment because it keeps clothes out of landfills, reduces carbon and chemical pollution caused by clothing production, and lowers water consumption.

Some of the disadvantages of thrifting include the long time it takes to sort through the many, often unorganised clothing items. Often the products have no warranty and no return policy.

There are some brands who have successfully gained consumers attention for the concept of thrifting and sustainability. Few of them are explored in this article.

Kiabza is a unique marketplace for people to buy and sell branded authentic & hand-picked pre-owned fashion. Kiabza is an online platform for the Sellers, to consign their pre-owned branded clothing and earn easy cash for their products; for the Buyers, to buy the best brands at a great price and look their absolute best.

Stylflip says, “A social platform to sell, shop and flaunt your branded pre-owned fashion For fashionable women who have closets full and yet nothing to wear, StylFlip is a social platform to sell, shop and flaunt their branded pre-owned fashion” Bodements is the recent thrift store, which have started to bring the concept of slow fashion and responsible ethical consumer practices. They recently expanded
to India and stock upcycle clothes that are handpicked from all over the world to find a home in your wardrobes.

Bombay Closet Cleanse is a women-run, pre-loved thrift store that has our heart with gorgeous bodysuits, Skirts, crop tops and more that scream fashion statements. They also run campaigns where they donate a lot of what they earn to NGOs in need.

The Local Thrift is one of the stores selling absolutely everything from fashion, books, clothes and home decor, The Local Thrift Shop should be your go-to option to shop on the cheap and also reduce your carbon footprint in the wider scheme of things.

Curated Findings revolve around the 5 R’s – Rewear, Recreate, Recycle, Repair, Re-love, Curated Findings is an online thrift and consignment store with an aim to curate hand-picked thrift and rare items to provide an affordable yet sustainable alternative to fast fashion.

Conclusion

Old clothes are in and the trend of reusing, reselling, renting, recycling used garments is growing at a steady pace, globally. Now, you no longer need to limit yourself to the same dress for every occasion, simply expand your wardrobe in

multiple ways. Fashion rental is booming. It’s one of the best ways to try new pieces before buying and avoids huge waste. You may have a special occasion coming up and want to get a piece that will wow, without it being seen on everyone. René Repko (Retail Expert, transforming brands I CMO I GM I
interim management,Published Sep 30, 2019) says “Around the globe people become more aware of the trade off between buying fashion items, wearing them a few times, disposing and what it does to our planet. Many new (online and physical) retail platforms have started concentrating on second hand items and renting out. Some even say that the second hand fashion market will outgrow fast fashion by 2028”.

-Ms. Dhara Padia

References and Data
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