(Toronto) A few weeks ago, Carly Soares needed a dress for a wedding, and fast.
Posted at 12:23 p.m.
“I tried to go to the mall, but I noticed that there was only a small collection of evening dresses, indicates the thirty-something. It was actually very surprising. It’s still the pandemic vibe — loungewear in many stores. »
The dresses she found were either too casual or too expensive, so she decided to rent one from a dress rental shop, which she had never tried before.
And after a first positive experience, Mme Soares said she would definitely do it again.
Clothing rentals have become more common over the past decade with the rise of the sharing economy, but the COVID-19 pandemic has not been kind to these types of retailers.
However, as pandemic restrictions have been lifted, some Canadian rental companies have seen increased ridership.
While experts believe there are even more opportunities, they warn that growth could be subdued as Canadians change their buying habits and priorities amid high inflation and rising interest rates. ‘interest.
There are other challenges as well, including more people buying into the idea of sharing clothes, people’s mindsets about what kind of clothes can be reused, environmentally conscious consumers who are wondering how truly respectful leasing is and inventory logistics.
“We have been conditioned to buy something, wear it, throw it away. Changing that to appreciate this rental opportunity is something that takes a lot of time,” says Daniel Drak, assistant professor at Parsons School of Design, New York.
One of the biggest, if not the biggest, clothing rental companies is US-based Rent the Runway, founded in 2009, which quickly became a hit with women who wanted access to designer clothes but couldn’t didn’t want to spend tons of money on outfits they’d only wear once or twice.
A more recent rush in Canada
In Canada, a rush of new clothing rental businesses began to appear in the years leading up to the pandemic, offering everything from special occasion or work clothing to maternity wear and everyone’s clothing. days. However, like many companies in the retail industry, getting through the past two years has been a challenge.
Canadian companies like Rent Frock Repeat, workwear rental company Dresst, and Station Service in Montreal have all gone out of business in the past two years.
It’s a “very difficult” market, according to Julie Kalinowski, CEO of The Fitzroy in Toronto, which offers special occasion dress rentals at a more affordable price.
According to Professor Drak, Generation Z — people born at the turn of the 21ste century and after — will be the one that will really drive the industry forward because of its enthusiasm for resale, whether for economic reasons or to reduce waste, or even to find unique pieces.
He added that now is the time for existing and emerging Canadian clothing rental companies to capitalize on this popularity and incorporate resale into their business model, which some have begun to do.
According to Statista, the global resale apparel market was valued at US$14 billion last year and is expected to reach US$51 billion by 2026.
A local vision as a solution
Making real efforts to reduce apparel waste and emissions from its production as well as operating as a local business could also be a good strategy, especially given Canada’s smaller population, explained the assistant professor of the Metropolitan University of Toronto, Anika Kozlowski.
This would involve a good understanding of the community in which the company operates, the use of high quality items and ethical brands made in Canada, finding ways to clean and repair clothing in a way that is not harmful to the environment and limiting long-distance deliveries.
In Vancouver, Blyth Gill is working on such a project with Tradle, an online baby clothing subscription company that lets parents rent and swap clothes for every growth spurt.
“Because babies grow quickly, the need to have and exchange clothes happens on a very short cycle,” he explains.
Tradle works with high quality local brands, avoiding fast fashion brands. When the clothes can no longer be reused, they will not be thrown away, but recycled or decomposed.
The company was launched just before the pandemic, which Mr. Gill said was definitely a learning experience.
“Naturally, when we didn’t know so much about COVID-19, people probably thought, ‘Share clothes? I don’t know,'” he said.
Mr. Gill says he is happy that this phase is now behind them and he is excited about the next stage of the company’s growth.
A recovery after two years of pandemic
Mme Fitzroy’s Kalinowski is also quite optimistic.
“Since the last reopening, it’s been crazy, it’s been a boom, it’s probably our best sellers to date. It’s been a big year for weddings, all the events have resumed, all the galas have resumed. We just had the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), one of our busiest weeks. So, it was very busy, ”she testifies.
Gabriella Iamundo, 31, uses the rental for special occasions, but doesn’t really see herself using it for everyday clothes, sports or work clothes, or subscribing to a service, a feeling that Professor Kozlowski points out to be quite common in all fields.
“I first rented (special occasion clothing) probably four or five years ago, maybe a little longer than that, and it became something that I thought was good for events. “says M.me iamundo.
“To be honest, it’s quite common in my circle of friends to check (rental services) to at least see what the options are, especially before I have to go out and buy something,” she adds.
Looking beyond, Professor Drak sees more and more big traditional brands launching their own rental segments – which is what US-based Urban Outfitters has done – or acquiring existing companies in this space, which would disrupt the market.