This was published 3 years ago

A department store that rents clothes? It's not as mad as it sounds

It sounds like the wildest proposition. Take the traditional department store model, which was built on selling new clothes each season, and give customers an alternative, in which they don't buy anything at all.

But what sounds bonkers on the surface may be one key to the survival of institutions such as David Jones, which is launching a play for the country's clothing rental market, in partnership with Glam Corner. After all, if having rentals sit alongside retail is good enough for Selfridge's and Bloomingdales?

Connie (left) wears Pasduchas jumpsuit ($79 to rent) and Dubs wears Cecilie Copenhagen dress ($89 to rent) at the new rental hub at David Jones' Sydney store. Sam Mooy

"We’re definitely about selling product but it's about servicing the customer in any way that's right for them," says Bridget Veals, David Jones' general manager of womenswear, accessories and footwear.

From Friday, customers can rent from brands including Aje, Camilla and Marc, Bec & Bridge and Ganni, with more higher end labels to join soon. Customers in Sydney have the option of visiting the Elizabeth Street store to browse and try, while elsewhere, the same range is available to rent online and sent anywhere in Australia. Veals says there are plans to roll out the physical shop-in-shop in every capital city.

For consumers, the other big sell is being able to wear labels that may be beyond their usual budget, while for David Jones, it is hoped the initiative, which was 18 months in planning, will give previous season's stock a new life, and reduce the reliance on protracted clearance periods, the so-called "red sea" of sales signs on the shopfloor.

The David Jones x Glam Corner store in Sydney will be rolled out nationwide. Sam Mooy

"It marries into what we want to do," says Veals. "We want to reduce sale, we want to reduce inventory and make sure its [life-cycle is] maximised."

At the end of the rental period, either four or eight days, customers return the garment back in a supplied envelope, whereupon it is dry-cleaned and repaired if needed. Most items will be rented about 10 times before they are "retired" and either sold or given to charity partner Red Cross.

The timing of the partnership with Glam Corner, the country's biggest online fashion-rental business, coincides with the slow resumption of events in some states, and as Melbourne gears up for a spring racing carnival that will mostly be celebrated at home or in small social catch-ups off the track. It may also prove to align with a general mood against hyper-consumerism in the midst of a recession.

Veals predicts the in-store range will emphasise occasionwear, while daywear and workwear, which has become a greater part of the rental market, will be concentrated online.

Prior to COVID-19, the rental market had been expected to be worth $2.9 billion by 2023. But with the widespread cancellation of events, the segment, especially smaller players, have taken a huge hit. Still, more retailers are seeing rentals as part of a hybrid model for the future; Country Road, which like David Jones is owned by South Africa's Woolworths Holdings, launched a partnership with Glam Corner in 2019.

Another homegrown solution to selling "old" stock is The Archive Place, a kind of online outlet mall that launched on Wednesday with brands including Albus Lumen and Sir the Label.

Founder Candice Tang, a former buyer for Giorgio Armani and Swarovski, hopes the site will entice customers looking for a great deal on classic pieces, without the stereotypical "sale" environment.

"We should feel good about shopping fashion – it shouldn't feel like you're buying a washing machine," she says. "Discounted means more affordable and accessible ... it shouldn't mean you take away all the creative inspiration and romance around fashion."

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Melissa Singer is national fashion editor of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

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