Ralph Lauren Is the Latest to Offer Clothing Rentals

This week, high-end American apparel brand Ralph Lauren launched its first clothing rental service, The Lauren Look, offering clothing items from its more accessible line, Lauren Ralph Lauren. Ralph Lauren joins brands such as Diane von Furstenberg, Ann Taylor and Vince in creating rental service options for customers to discover looks from their favorite fashion brands. “The Lauren Look allows us to explore an entirely new model tapping into the growing focus on the sharing economy and revolutionizing how we look at fashion consumption,” said David Lauren, Ralph Lauren's chief innovation and branding officer, in a statement. How the Lauren Look works Starting at $125 per month, customers can choose from a selection of size-inclusive options and receive tips from stylists on how to wear their recent purchases. Clothes from the most recent Lauren collections will be available and subscribers also have the choice of unlimited swaps if they change their mind. The company is even offering complimentary shipping, along with the ability to purchase items at “exclusive member prices," according to a statement. The company is working with CaaStle, a service that allows retailers to offer "clothing as a service" (CaaS), to manage the subscription model, including its databases, algorithms and analytics. Claire Tassin, director analyst at global research firm Gartner, said that she expects consumers to refresh their wardrobes when vaccine availability improves and consumers slowly begin to resume normal activities. “Brands are attracted to the recurring revenue and opportunity to deepen relationships with loyal customers, and consumers enjoy the convenience and access to a wide variety of products,” Tassin said. Social good Consumers enrolled in apparel subscriptions are motivated by exclusive brand offerings and new product discovery, Tassin said. She pointed to how consumers tend to be less confident in their own ability to make good purchase decisions and prefer to outsource the work of keeping their wardrobes up to date. Plus, there’s an element of social good. In addition to supporting the circular economy, which seeks to eliminate waste by continually reusing resources, Ralph Lauren’s rental collections will be part of an "after-use program." Once Ralph Lauren determines the clothes have reached their rental cap, it will donate them to Delivering Good, a nonprofit providing new merchandise to people impacted by poverty and tragedy. Challenges But subscription models are not new. So far, we have seen them mainly in the multi-brand space with companies such as Rent the Runway, Wardrobe and Nuuly, but recently new brand-specific rental services have emerged. Sucharita Kodali, retail industry analyst at Forrester, said there is not enough evidence to evaluate the success of mono-brand apparel rental services yet. She noted their success ultimately depends on gathering enough subscribers looking to rent everyday work attire. “History has shown that multi-brand platforms like Rent the Runway generally make the most of their earnings off special occasion outfits rather than daily wear,” she added. Rent the Runway Expands Into Children’s Clothing Just Weeks After Becoming a Unicorn

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Ralph Lauren Is the Latest to Offer Clothing Rentals

But the jury’s still out on brand-specific services

How the Lauren Look works

Lucielle Salomon

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How the Lauren Look works

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Lucielle Salomon