Department store chain Selfridges has launched Selfridges Rental in the UK, which will loan out fashion items for men and women.
Curated by Selfridges buyers from new-season collections, and supported by a new technology platform from clothing rental specialist Hurr, the service went live online today.
As part of the retailer’s ‘Project Earth’ commitments announced in 2020, which highlighted several ways the retailer is planning to become more circular and eco-conscious in its operations, Hurr took a presence in Selfridges’ London store last summer. But this new iteration of the partnership takes the form of a permanent online service.
Head of womenswear buying at Selfridges, Jeannie Lee, said: “For Selfridges Rental, we’ve created an edit of the most desirable items to fit today’s ever-evolving lifestyle.
Bottega Veneta, JACQUEMUS, Prada, KITH, and BAPE are among the brand names included in the Selfridges Rental collection.
“Now that the world is opening back up, rental fashion is the perfect way to enjoy dressing up and flexing our personal style when we’re getting together with friends and family,” added Jack Cassidy, Selfridges head of menswear buying.
“For all the events and occasions that will be filling up the months ahead, you can try out something new, exciting or a bit adventurous every single time.”
Selfridges said the rental proposition is one way it is committed to “reinventing retail”, adding that the new platform helps the retailer and consumers “close the loop on waste”. The theory is that rented items get more use and stay in circulation longer than many items bought for special occasions, which are often quickly discarded by the owner.
To use Selfridges Rental, consumers must register for an account, which will give them access to all the new arrivals and exclusive previews of future collections.
The site can be filtered by category, brand, availability, size and price, and consumers have several options in terms of length of rental and how they would like items to be delivered.
Once used, the items can be returned using pre-paid returns labels.
[Image credit: Green Retail World]
