Rent and repeat.
Dress rental is fast becoming our go-to for special occasions. It’s a great way to practice sustainable fashion, save on wardrobe space and on money – especially if you tend to buy a dress for a special occasion without wearing it again. Plus it’s an affordable way to wear designer clothes.
The offering has never been so good either. Sites like HURR, where I actually rent out my own wardrobe, are editor and stylist-curated, offering a selection of cool brands such as RIXO, Ganni, STAUD and more. You can for example borrow a Rixo dress for a week for around £50 instead of buying it new for £200+.
Other sites allow you to borrow that designer handbag you’ve always wanted but can’t quite justify buying. Whichever item you’re after, here are the best dress rental sites to pick from.
The best dress rental sites:
1. HURR
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About: HURR is a rental service that has its finger on the fashion pulse, ensuring you get the latest trends delivered to your doorstep. The platform offers peer-to-peer rentals as well as managed products which are housed at HURR HQ. Where the brand really hits the mark is within the technology it uses. Founders Victoria and Matthew recognise the urgency of a dressing crisis, so they’ve served up a real-time ID verification, geo-tagging and AI-powered fashion stylists to ensure HURR is the most secure and trusted way to hire clothing and share your wardrobe.
Brands: Rixo, Sleeper, Ganni, Victoria Beckham, STAUD, Dior, Rejina Pyo and more.
How it works: If you’re lending out your own wardrobe within the peer-to-peer service, you are responsible for posting your own clothes. Although you can choose to use HURR’s concierge service, which does it all for you, however, you will get a lower commission. You’ll need to get approved before you start lending or renting, ensuring a legit service for everyone.
If you’re renting, you can search by category (dresses, accessories etc), occasion (brunch, out out etc) or designer. Then narrow down your search by date and size. HURR also has a permanent space in Selfridges, should you want to try out the items in-store.
How much? It depends on the item, but usually, around 20% of the RRP, and the shortest rental is for 4 days. For both renters and lenders, HURR takes a 15% commission. Try it now at HURR.
2. Hirestreet
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About: Ensuring style and sustainability are inclusive and relatable, the brand prides itself on its research and response to customer feedback. Owning all the products available for rental – pieces are selected six months ahead from brand look books and bought at wholesale, using data-backed processes to determine popular pieces.
Brands: Cult Aussie brands such as Winona, Bardot & Talulah and influencer favourite Spanish brand, Panambi as well as consumer favourites including Ghost, Whistles, French Connection, Rixo, Bec & Bridge and ASOS.
How it works: A different model from other fashion rental platforms, Hirestreet works on a consignment basis with no subscription, to make rental accessible to all. With rental costs starting from £7 for four days, there are four rental lengths available for flexibility (4, 10, 14 or 30 days) and cleaning/repairs are covered in the cost.
How much? £7 for four days. Try it now.
3. Front Row
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About: The platform launched in 2016 and now stocks hundreds of items from over 50 international luxury brands, including Louis Vuitton, Dior and Chanel, many of which are not available from other rental platforms in the U.K. They also provide access to new season and cult fashion pieces hot off the runway.
Brands: As well as global high-end designers like Jacquemus, Chanel, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Gucci and Burberry, they also have a great collection of Indian evening wear from some of the best Indian designers such as Manish Arora.
How it works: Choose a style, book an appointment at the Mayfair showroom or online to ‘try it on’ and rent it out for 3 or 5 days. Once you’re done wearing it, use the prepaid label to return it via UPS collection or drop-off.
How much? The rental price is between 10 – 25% of the retail price. The site charges a flat rate of £15 for delivery and also takes a £50 block until the item is returned. The £50 is a requirement from insurers and will be released when the item is returned back in its original condition. Try it now.
4. Baukjen
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About: Encouraging customers to ‘go greener’ and eliminate the effects of fast fashion, Baukjen offers its customers the option to rent its clothing, including statement dresses, leather jackets and key essentials for a period of 2 weeks, before returning free of charge. The programme is part of the ethical and responsible brands Recommerce initiative, seeking ways to prolong the lifecycle of garments.
How it works: Rent it, receive it and wear it for two weeks before returning it for free to Baukjen.
How much? The price varies per item, starting at £15 for a blouse. Try it now.
5. Rotatro
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About: Backed by a team of industry insiders and co-founded by former WGSN trend forecaster, Georgie Hyatt and Charlie Knowles. ROTARO was created from the belief that the future of fashion is to buy good basics and rent good fun. ROTARO renters can find their favourite styles from contemporary luxury designers to refresh their wardrobes or as a platform to discover new brands.
Brands: Rixo, Ganni, Reformation, Cult Gaia, Vampires Wife, Zimmerman, Jacquemus, Cecilie Bahnsen and Stine Goya, offering a variety of sizes (UK6 – UK16) and styles that strive to be body inclusive and positive.
How it works: Find your style, then select how long you want to rent it out for, Rotaro offers next-day delivery.
How much? You can rent dresses for as little as £15 on Rotaro.
6. By Rotation
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About: Founded by expat investment banker Eshita Kabra-Davies, By Rotation is a dress rental platform based on inclusivity, with the aim to democratise quality fashion and make it accessible to all. It’s all controlled by the community rather than the other way round making it truly peer-to-peer. It also does not buy any inventory – so it is entirely sustainable.
Brands: Dior, Jacquemus, Vetements, Chanel, Zimmermann and more.
How it works: Download the free app and start browsing, there is no waiting list. The item can either be exchanged in person, via Royal Mail Tracked or via delivery partner Peyk. The lender is in charge of cleaning, and cleaning solutions are offered by partner Clothes Doctor.
How much? Around 5% of the retail price. The minimum rental period for any clothing or item can be as low as 1 day, and the app charges a 15% commission. Download the ByRotation app.
7. My Wardrobe HQ
About: My Wardrobe HQ is a dress rental platform, with a focus on sustainable fashion and making it possible for anyone to achieve an a-list wardrobe. Some items have been supplied by celebrities such as Poppy Delevingne, Arizona Muse, Roxie Nafousi and Olivia Buckingham.
Brands: Henry Holland, Alice Temperley, Vilshenko, Vivienne Westwood, Chinti & Parker, Gucci and more.
How it works: Customers are able to use the service as a once off, but can also sign up for a subscription service for just £9.99 a month. In return, customers are given a bespoke service to fulfil all their high-end dressing requirements. The subscription also includes a home visit from an MWHQ stylist to discuss plans for what they want to achieve being a member of this exclusive fashion club. You choose an item to rent and it’s with you from our wardrobe warehouse within two hours in London.
How much? As a rule of thumb, past-season items are listed at 10% of their RRP, while current-season items are priced at between 10-30%. Sale prices are set by the owner and will vary. Rent at My Wardrobe HQ.
9. Girl Meets Dress
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(@girlmeetsdress)About: One of the original dress rental services, Girl Meets Dress stocks over 200 designers and 4,000 dresses, so you’re pretty much sorted for any occasion.
Brands: A mix of high street and designer brands such as Ghost, Needle & Thread, Saint Laurent, Miu Miu and more.
How it works: You can rent up to three months in advance and as little as three days before your event, though the earlier you search, the more choice you’ll have. Anyone can rent on the site, and you simply need to return the dress via the post office once you’re done.
How much? Rent at Girl Meets Dress. You can hire dresses for 2 or 7 nights at a time, with prices starting from £19. If you’re a frequent renter, there is a £99 per month membership which lets you borrow three dresses at a time, free delivery and dry cleaning and extra discounts.
10. BLANQO
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About: If you’re lucky enough to be going on a ski trip, BLANQO is for you. Instead of spending a fortune on skiwear you’ll only wear once, or once a year, you can rent it. A more economical and sustainable solution.
Brands: Each item is handpicked to combine elegant style with high-quality fabrics that perform well on the piste. This year, BLANQO is working exclusively with Poivre Blanc but it will expand the collection to celebrate emerging and established brands.
How it works: You can rent skiwear from a minimum of 6 days to a maximum of 17 days. Each piece is available in several sizes.
How much? Hire prices from £23. Try it now.
Best Children’s clothing rental sites:
There is notoriously a lot of waste when it comes to baby and kids’ clothes since they are outgrown too quickly to make them worth it on a cost-per-wear basis. Luckily, there are rental sites for that too. Keep scrolling for the best childrens’ clothing sites to rent from now.
1. Bundlee
About: Bundlee is a rental subscription service founded by West London-based Eve Kekeh in 2018.
Brands: It has recently teamed up with Little Riley Studio, a sustainable kids’ brand by Riley Studio. You can rent it alongside other labels such as Patagonia, Mini Rodini, MORI, and more for £39 a month for a bundle of 15 designer pieces.
How it works: Your Bundlee is delivered to your door in reusable packaging, with a pre-paid returns label and care instructions. The cost includes insurance, so there’s no need to worry about stains or wear and tear. You keep the clothes for as long as your baby needs (or fits into) them — the average is three months — and then return them in the original bag. Outgrown clothes are swapped for the next size up, sanitised, and then sustainably shared with other renting families.
2. The Little Loop
About: The Little Loop offers clothing rental for kids, from a range of sustainable brands.
Brands: The company stocks sustainable childrenswear brands including Frugi, Piccalilly, Kite and more.
How it works: The Little Loop operates on a subscription plan, so you can choose a level that suits you from £18 to £36 per month. Depending on your subscription you will receive a number of credits and then those credits can be used to select the clothes you rent. Plans can be paused or cancelled at any time, and even come with strain insurance.
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