Rental news and archive

By Rotation partners with Lime to push low-impact festive consumerism

Fashion rental platform By Rotation has struck up a new partnership with Lime, an electric vehicle company, to encourage consumers to make more sustainable choices during the festive season. The collaboration comes on the back of research suggesting that 95 percent of London-based women want to be more environmentally conscious this Christmas,...

Retail

Urban Outfitters introduces US in-store rental returns with Nuuly

Retail giant Urban Outfitters has introduced a new in-store rental programme alongside Nuuly, allowing customers to return items borrowed from the platform to its stores across the US. Through the service, customers can bring their monthly Nuuly totes to Urban Outfitters’ stores to drop off as part of a rental return system. Those who utilise...

Featured

Fashion |Interview

Janet Mandell expands luxury rental model with consignment service and AI try-on

In a rental market dominated by convenience and price, Janet Mandell has carved out a niche: a couture-level service paired with a circular fashion ethos. From her showrooms in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, Mandell has built a business that not only provides access to over 6,000 designer pieces, but also strives to care for clients as...

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Business

CaaStle founder charged over alleged 300 million dollar fraud scheme

Christine Hunsicker, the founder of bankrupt rental platform CaaStle, has been criminally charged over a 300 million dollar fraud case. Hunsicker has been accused of “defrauding investors of hundreds of millions of dollars through document forgery, fabricated audits, and material misrepresentations about her company’s financial condition”, US...

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Business

Australian rental platform The Volte expands to UK

The Volte, an Australian peer-to-peer rental marketplace, has entered the UK market for the first time as part of an ongoing international expansion. In a release, co-founder and chief executive officer, Bernadette Olivier, said venturing into the UK marked a “significant milestone” for the company. She added: “Our proof of concept with our...

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Business

Freitag launches rental service

Swiss bag brand Freitag took a step towards a circular business model with the launch of its rental service, Freitag Rent. The brand announced this in a press release. Freitag joins brands such as Decathlon, Bever, H&M, Urban Outfitters and Nike, which previously launched similar rental services. Peter Hollenstein, project manager at Freitag...

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Business

Rental platform CaaStle files for bankruptcy amid fraud controversy

CaaStle Inc. has descended into bankruptcy, a new court filing has revealed, months after its former chief executive officer, Christine Hunsicker, was accused of fraud. The rental platform has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the District of Delaware, and is further preparing to liquidate its business. The petition, filed as case number...

Fashion

Strathberry launches ‘Borrow a Bag’ experience with Kimpton Hotels in Scotland

Scottish luxury accessories brand Strathberry is partnering with the Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel in Edinburgh and Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel in Glasgow allowing guests to borrow one of its signature handbags. The exclusive ‘Borrow a Bag’ experience is an extension of Kimpton Hotels’ signature ‘Forgot it? We’ve Got It!’ programme and...

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Business

CaaStle reportedly secures bridge loan to support Chapter 11 process

CaaStle has seemingly found a light at the end of the tunnel. The US fashion rental platform, which has worked with brands like LK Bennett and Derek Lam on branded rental offerings, is believed to have secured a 2.75 million dollar bridge loan to help support an impending Chapter 11 process and despite an ongoing lawsuit. According to a letter...

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Business|Interview

Clothing rental as a business model: 6 Lessons from 10 years of Lena the Fashion Library

Many clothing rental companies have come and gone in recent years, but Netherlands-based Lena the Fashion Library has remained steadfast. Co-founder Elisa Jansen admitted that it wasn't always easy, having only found the perfect pay-as-you-borrow business model after five years. “You have to be patient and really dare to test it if you are going...

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Business

Fashion rental app Pickle secures 12 million US dollars Series A funding

American peer-to-peer fashion rental app Pickle has announced a 12 million US dollar Series A funding round co-led by FirstMark and Craft Ventures, with participation from Burst Capital and FJ Labs, investors known for backing leading marketplaces and consumer brands like Airbnb, Uber, Pinterest, Alibaba, and Yelp, as it looks to become the...

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Business

Clothing rental: Sustainable alternative or hidden ecological fault?

The idea of renting clothes rather than buying them is convincing more and more consumers, especially as the fashion industry continues to be widely held responsible for heavy CO2 emissions. Indeed, with an annual growth of 10 percent, the clothing rental market seems to meet a need for more responsible commitment, particularly to limit the...