Hands

Hands
up anyone who’s lusted over Cher Horowitz’ high-tech (for
the Noughties, anyway) wardrobe in the opening scenes of Clueless?
We’re guilty. The ability to rummage (read: scroll) through someone
else’s Cher Horowitz-standard wardrobe and have it arrive at your
door almost instantaneously? Game-changing.

What if I told you that a similar wardrobe device was not only
possible, but planet-positive and wallet-friendly? No, it’s not a
fashion fairy tale. Enter the world of fashion rentals and you can
swipe your way to a new holiday wardrobe, borrowing the dresses of
your dreams with a few choice clicks.

ByRotation founder, Eshita Kabra-Davies, and a Stine Goya
dress available from the rental service.

I’ll be honest: my fast-fashion sin list was lengthy – and I’m
not just talking about the PVC and jewel-coloured peplum trend that
would make those in Gen Z cringe. I bought new outfits for every
event possible. Holiday on the horizon? A slew of Crocs-pink and
holographic parcels would arrive at my desk. “Out out” plans with
the girls? Seven variations of polyester bodysuits and skinny jeans
would be plonked in front of me. Wedding invite? Yep, a wear-once
dress would be on its way.

And, like many millennials who have reflected on their
detrimental shopping habits over the past few years, I knew this
wasn’t sustainable – not for myself, but more importantly, not for
the planet. It’s no secret that the fashion industry is one of the
worst polluters out there, but the figures behind our throwaway
culture are still shocking. Globally, only an estimated one per
cent of cast-off clothing is recycled into new garments annually –
a horrifically low figure when you consider that up to 11.3 million
tonnes of textile waste is binned in the US alone in the same
timeframe. That’s where renting works best, offering an alternative
to purchasing outfits that were destined to see out their lives in
landfills.

My first step towards planning a waste-free holiday wardrobe
entailed signing up to By Rotation. The UK-based service was the first to
launch a fashion-rental app, helping to fulfil countless
Horowitz-inspired dreams. Started as a side hustle in 2019 by
finance brain-turned-founder Eshita Kabra-Davies, By Rotation is a
peer-to-peer business that allows users to rent designer drip from
a legion of stylish trailblazers. Lenders simply set up a profile,
snap photos of their clothes, set the price and rental timelines,
and then share them with other rotators. The result? Rotators get
access to a revolving door of must-borrow items: Moon Boots for
your upcoming Megève ski trip; Rixo sequinned dresses for
main-character Christmas Day outfit; Sleeper sets for long-haul
flights to winter sun; and sold-out Christopher Esber gowns for
evening soirées.

By Rotation’s ski edit includes LOEWE fleeces and Moon
Boots.

The app introduced me to a conscious, fashion-forward community
of people putting their wardrobes on the web so that slaves to the
catwalk (like myself) can rent the latest must-have look – and I’m
a convert. I borrow, I buy – thanks to a new resale feature – and I
rent out my designer dresses to other fashion fans. I’ve worn
Missoni trousers in Mykonos; Rat & Boa dresses in Capri and
Jacquemus two-pieces in the Maldives. Whenever a new holiday or
event gets added to my calendar, I open the app, scroll through By
Rotation’s virtual racks and my saved style crushes to select an
outfit. Likewise, when I buy a new outfit, I photograph it and
stick it on the app to share with fellow rotators. I’m saving the
planet, saving money and earning a second income from my high-end
splurges.

Anna October and Baobab dresses, both available at By
Rotation.

Renting is already pretty normal across the pond – our New York
friends have been gushing about Rent The Runway for a while – but
the UK is now catching up. That wedding you went to in the summer?
We bet most of the guests’ dresses and heels were a rent-an-outfit
from some of the industry’s hottest tickets, namely Rotaro, HURR
and, in the case of that Gucci GG Marmont Mini, bag-rental company
Cocoon. Likewise, when you arrive on the slopes this winter, expect
everyone to have levelled up their mountain gear. Fusalp
salopettes, Free People ski jackets and Chloé goggles are just some
of the snow sports gear getting attention in By Rotation’s recent
ski edit, with prices starting from just £15 for a week’s rent.

As New Year approaches, your vision boards get built and a list
of resolutions added to your phone notes, make sure signing up to a
rental company is on there. A revolving rail of designer garms at
high-street prices all available at the touch of your fingertips?
Cher Horowitz walked so By Rotation could run.

Begging to be borrowed: three rental companies for holiday
wardrobes

By Rotation

The OG app. Eshita Kabra-Davies launched the peer-to-peer rental
platform in 2019 after a trip to Rajasthan, in her motherland,
India, brought to her attention the damaging effects of textile
waste on the planet. Now, the brand is a fashion-world favourite,
with over 200,000 UK users and an active community of lenders ready
to lend inspiration and fresh finery to sustainability-minded
renters. We’re snapping up a Perfect Moment ski jacket, this season’s
must-have Moon Boot, a wavy OOSC ski suit and some chic
Chloé ski goggles for our next slopeside adventure.
And maybe this sequinned Rixo
dress for winter soirées.

Rotaro

Unlike By Rotation’s peer-to-peer platform, cult label rental
service Rotaro holds a central bank of clothes you can rent.
That means no community lending (and, therefore, no dreamy lenders’
inspo if you’re stuck for ideas), but more availability, as the
brand tends to stock dresses in multiple sizes. Sign up for
Nafsika Skourti dresses from £105, and access
to that Rejina Pyo Nappa green Simone shoulder bag of
your dreams.

HURR

Want to rent-a-shoe before your city break? Head to HURR for
aquamarine By Far mules, geometric-print Prada sandals and a pair of Ganni cowboy boots. The platform is committed
to sustainability across the board, too, with regular charitable
initiatives organised to support its partner organisation, Malaika,
helping to improve the future of girls in the DRC by funding
education, clean-water access and health programmes.