(9 Feb 2020) LEAD IN Luxury brands are finding new ways to extend the life of their products as demand for sustainable fashion continues to gain pace.
London's Selfridges has its first permanent space for second hand designer clothes, while renting and restoring expensive items are now growing trends.
STORY-LINE
Jane Shepherdson knows a lot about fashion. As the former CEO of UK clothing brand Whistles and brand director for Topshop, she's a giant of the retail industry. In 2015 she was awarded a CBE for services to UK retail business.
But as someone with a long commitment to ethical fashion and the environment, her focus has now shifted from selling to renting.
Last year she became the Chair of rental platform My Wardrobe HQ, which enables fashion lovers to rent, rather than buy, designer items.
"Renting means that each piece gets rented out I think on average about sort of 20 times, as opposed to somebody buying it and it sitting in your wardrobe and never being worn again and ending up in landfill. So that side of it is really, really important. The more of us that rent, certainly for special occasions and weddings, the better," explains Shepherdson.
The fashion industry was found to be the second most polluting industry in the world by the UN Conference on Trade and Development.
So buying fewer new clothes made it onto many people's New Year's resolution lists for 2020, and rental platforms are now gaining popularity as a result.
My Wardrobe HQ has a space where renters can try on the clothes in London's South Kensington but most of the process takes place through the website:
"If you're a lender what we do is we take your clothes, we photograph them, we list them on our site, we do all the fulfilment, delivery, the cleaning, everything and just send you a cheque every month for what you've actually rented. And if you're a renter obviously you just go onto our website, pick what you want and you rent it and you can get next day delivery," says Shepherdson.
With brands including Chanel, Ralph Lauren and Temperley available, she says prices can range from £30 ($39) to rent a £300 ($390) dress for the week, up to £500 (£650) for something such as an Alexander McQueen dress which retailed at £5,000 ($6,500).
Even one of the giants of the highstreet are jumping on the second-hand wagon.
The world famous Selfridges department store has opened its first permanent space for pre-owned designer clothes.
Vestiaire Collective was founded in Paris in 2009 and specialises in premium and luxury fashion.
According to Virginia Feacey, Head of Northern Europe for Vestiaire Collective, the concession at Selfridges brings resale and retail together for the first time.
She adds that they've been "blown away" by the reaction from customers, some of whom have been able to track down designer items they've been looking for for years thanks to the presence in Selfridges.
Those who wish to sell can simply bring their used goods to a drop off point at the store. And as well as making it easier for customers to buy and sell luxury items, Vestiaire Collective is spreading a sustainable fashion message too:
"Extending the life of a garment by up to nine months can actually reduce carbon waste and water footprints by 20 to 30 percent. So it really has a positive impact on the environment if you sell on your pre-owned pieces," says Feacey.
She describes it as "a more cyclical fashion model".
So fashionistas can keep wearing those designer shoes for a little bit longer.
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