FROM gorgeous gowns to amazing accessories, three women explain why renting out their fabulous fashion finds has never been more in vogue.
‘It’s lovely to know my dresses play a part in other women’s big moments’
Lisa Maynard-Atem, 45, a fashion entrepreneur, lives in Manchester with her mum Marva.
“Gazing at my wardrobe full of dresses, I felt sad that I couldn’t wear them.
It was April 2020, and with the world in lockdown, there was no opportunity to dress up in the clothes I’d spent years accumulating.
Thanks to my mum, I’ve always been obsessed with fashion. Her love of labels when I was growing up in the ’80s made a huge impression on me, and in 2004 I got a job as a stylist, then joined Harrods in 2010 as a social media manager.
I travelled the world for work, attending catwalk shows and sample sales, where I was lucky enough to be able to buy designer items at a fraction of the retail price.
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My wardrobe of feminine, colourful dresses and skirts by the likes of Chanel, Valentino, Self-Portrait and Rixo grew.
By 2020, my collection became so large I had to take over some of my mum’s wardrobe space. Thankfully, she didn’t mind!
When lockdown hit, I decided to register with fashion rental platform Hurr.
It took just a few minutes to snap photos of a size-10 rainbow-sequin Rixo dress, which retails for around £300, and upload it.
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Within days, I had a request to rent it for £37.50 for four days – Hurr recommends the rental prices.
It felt weird to send it to a stranger, but I loved the idea that someone else would experience wearing it.
When it came back to me on time and in perfect condition, I decided to rent out more items.
Certain dresses have been insanely popular. My £340 red Self-Portrait dress has been hired 15 times and made me £635 after fees – Hurr takes 15% commission.
Some pieces have come back damaged, though, with tears in the fabric, which you have to accept as part of the process.
I’ve found some good tailors to make repairs, which I have to pay for.
Once I’ve paid the platform fees, dry-cleaning and postage, I spend half of what’s left on buying new pieces, like the £300 Rixo dress I bought in a Selfridges sale for just £30, and I save the rest – I’ve now built up a nest egg of around £4k.
After years of hard work, it feels good to be creating financial security.
After researching trends and Instagram engagement, I’ll choose what to buy. But it’s not just about money – it’s emotionally satisfying, too.
Once, a woman contacted me to say she’d seen my Instagram, tried renting her clothes, and with the £1,000 she made, she was able to leave an abusive relationship.
It’s also lovely to know that my dresses have played a part in other women’s big moments.
Someone hired my pink tulle Pinko dress to get married in, and another rented my Giambattista Valli puffball dress for an awards ceremony.
I’ve recently launched an online course on renting clothes, because I want to help others benefit from the side hustle, too.”
Follow @stylisa on Instagram.
‘From a £300 loan, I’ve made a £3,500 profit’
Rubie Drake, 21, an events and marketing manager, lives in Essex with her mum Lisa, 51, dad Ian, 50, and brother Sidney, 19.
“Sliding the package over the Post Office counter last week, I thought about the person who’d receive it.
"It was the 15th time I’d rented my Rat & Boa dress to a total stranger for £45 for three days, and I hoped whoever they were, it would make them feel as fabulous as I do when I wear it.
Last year, I wanted something special to wear to my brother’s 18th birthday, but couldn’t afford anything I liked, so for the first time, I rented a dress.
I couldn’t believe I was wearing a £325 Ganni pinstripe blazer dress, having paid just £30.
In January this year, I was lying in bed, watching a TikToker talk about how much she’d made from renting out her own clothes, and it was a lightbulb moment.
However, I didn’t own the designer clothes I knew people wanted to rent – mine were mostly H&M and Zara.
And even though I was working part-time at a supermarket, I didn’t have the money to splash out.
So, I put a business proposal to my parents, explaining the shift towards sustainable fashion and the kind of outfits being rented, and for how much.
If they loaned me cash to invest in some key pieces, I was confident I could pay them back and make a profit.
They agreed to loan me £300, plus Mum offered to help with the logistics of wrapping and posting parcels.
The first piece I bought was a Rat & Boa one-shoulder mini dress, which usually cost £185 but I found new for £70 on eBay.
I uploaded images of it to the designer clothes hire app By Rotation, and a few days later I had my first rental request.
In the seven months since, it’s been booked 15 times at £45 a hire.
After the app fees – 15% of each rental – and postage costs, it’s made me around £480.
The second dress I invested in was a patterned, floaty Stine Goya design in a size 14 – it retails at £300, but I got it in a sale for £80. It’s been rented out seven times at £48 a time, making me £175.
Being tuned into popular brands is key. I learned about the brand Asta Resort through an Australian influencer, and I spotted a dress for sale online for £190. It’s been rented 13 times at £54 each time, making me more than £500.
But there are challenges.
In July, a dress was returned a week late, stained and torn.
Thankfully, I always photograph the clothes before I send them out, and know I’ll be reimbursed by the renter once the app’s dispute process is complete.
I make around £1,000 a month from my 20 rental items. I reinvest 70% in new dresses and have put the rest towards a holiday.
In total, I’ve made around £3,500 in profit. By opening up my wardrobe, I can share my style sustainably.
That’s the ultimate fashion win-win.”
Follow @rubies.rentals on Instagram.
‘I paid for my wedding dress by renting out clothes’
Camille Ben, 32, is a product specialist at Instagram. She lives in North London with husband Natan, 36, the co-founder of a tech start-up.
“Dressed in a £9k Dior gown and veil, I looked in the mirror and smiled.
I couldn’t wait to walk down the aisle in such a stunning dress.
Hanging up were the two Dolce & Gabbana dresses, costing £1,200 each, that I’d worn to our pre-wedding dinner and pool party the previous day.
But I never could have afforded these if I hadn’t rented out my wardrobe – I’ve made around £22k since 2020 doing just that.
I’ve always had an entrepreneurial streak, and I’d worked every summer since I was 14 in a clothes shop, earning minimum wage.
I managed to save up around £5,500, which I invested in bags by designers such as Gucci, then paid off my first year of university fees by buying and reselling them on eBay.
After graduating, I got a job in tech and used my earnings to grow my wardrobe.
It became my passion, and I amassed over 20 handbags from Chanel and Gucci, plus ski wear from Moncler and dresses by Prada.
It was during lockdown in April 2020, when I saw an ad on social media for By Rotation, that I decided to give renting a try.
All my lovely pieces were just collecting dust, when they could be making me money. I took a few snaps and uploaded them.
Almost immediately, I had a request from someone to rent my £3,999 Chanel bag, at a cost of £130 for three days.
Despite the pandemic, there was a steady stream of requests, and soon I was making around £650 a month.
One Jacquemus dress I’d bought in 2018 for £800 has since made me over £2k.
I’ve become strategic when shopping. In 2021, I bought the same Chanel ski suit that Kylie Jenner wore on Instagram.
The RRP was £3,500, but I got it for £1,200 on the second-hand fashion app Depop, and I’ve since rented it out countless times at £180 a go.
But renting is not without its problems. Last year, someone rented a Chanel bag and didn’t return it on time.
I knew the insurance would cover the cost, but I was upset because I love my pieces so much.
I felt so relieved when I got it back, and the rentee had to pay for the extra time.
There are certain items I’d never rent out, such as the costume jewellery my grandma left me when she passed away in 2022, which is too emotionally valuable.
Natan and I got married in July 2022 in Sicily, and I paid for my entire wedding wardrobe with the money from renting my clothes.
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I plan to rent out my Dior wedding dress, too. I want my clothes to bring as much joy to others as they have to me.”
- Follow @dutempsetdesreves on Instagram.
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