9 best clothes rental sites
Faced with the dilemma of wanting a new outfit but not necessarily needing one? To avoid buying items that you're unlikely to wear multiple times, rental clothes are well worth trying.
Credit: Prostock-studio, Pixel-Shot – Shutterstock
Clothes rental has fast become one of the most popular ways to wear the outfit of your choice, without having to break the bank. On top of that, studies show that renting clothes can have big environmental benefits over buying them.
With around 70% of the carbon footprint of an item happening during the production process, clothes rental services offer a great way to access a new wardrobe with less impact on the environment.
Renting clothes is particularly good for events like balls, graduations and fancy nights out. It prevents you from getting something new, wearing it once and then keeping it in your wardrobe for another five years, just in case' another suitable occasion pops up.
And remember, you can also make money by renting out your own clothes to others. Keep reading for a list of where to rent (or lend) clothes.
Top websites for renting clothes
These are the best websites we've found to rent a dress, a suit, designer shoes, handbags and more:
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Hirestreet
Best for: High-street fashion available to rent at low prices.
If you're looking for low-cost rental clothes for women, Hirestreet could be a good choice. You can either rent individual items on demand or subscribe to an unlimited wardrobe.
You can often find items from popular high-street brands like Zara, available to rent for as little as £19 for a month. And you can also find ASOS casual and formal dresses to rent.
One perk of Hirestreet, which not all clothes rental services offer, is that you can get rental credit if you return an unworn item.
Hirestreet's rental clothes might not have the biggest reductions in cost compared to the RRP. So, if you're looking at the upper end of their price range, you might find better deals elsewhere.
However, the unlimited wardrobe subscription allows you to rent five items at a time and swap them every 30 days. This includes the higher cost rental items, many of which would cost more to rent on demand than the initial £85 subscription cost.
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Moss Hire
Best for: Suits and smart menswear that you can rent.
Hoping to rent a suit? Try Moss Bros.
Their suits-for-hire are priced between £80 and £180, depending on the type of suit you're after. You can do it all yourself online or opt for a store appointment for free one-to-one advice from a stylist.
Delivery-wise, they'll either ship to your home address or allow you to pick it up from any of the 120 stores in the UK.
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HURR
Best for: Renting high-end designer womenswear clothes.
There's a huge range of designer womenswear available to rent from HURR. You can rent dresses, jumpsuits, bags and more.
As the brands on HURR are generally pretty high-end, the rental prices are a bit higher compared to some of the other sites on this list. But, compared to the RRP of the items, there are still some good offers.
For example, we've seen an Alexander McQueen dress available to rent for around £197 for four days – around 9% of its retail price of £2,200! And with a further 15% discount for students making their first hire, you could be wearing a designer dress to the ball for around £167.
If you're lucky enough to have a designer dress lurking in the wardrobe, then you can also list it on HURR. It will need to be less than two years old and have an RRP of over £90, but HURR reckons you can make up to £1,000 a month. Not bad for a side hustle!
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John Lewis Rental
Best for: Renting dresses, suits and accessories for formal events.
John Lewis has also jumped on the bandwagon, launching a new rental service for clothing and accessories.
You can rent a wide range of designer womenswear and accessories, including bags and earrings. And now they've also added menswear, with a range of suits available to rent. Items can be rented for four, eight, 16 or 30 days.
Dress rental starts from around £21 and dinner jackets from around £30 for four days. Just make sure you send your items back on time, otherwise you could be charged £25 a day for late returns.
Check the RRP to ensure you're getting a good deal. You may find it cheaper to buy the dress or suit and then sell it once you've worn it.
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By Rotation
Best for: Renting and lending mid- or up-market womenswear clothes.
By Rotation allows users to lend as well as rent clothes via its app.
This platform focuses on fashion that's high-end contemporary, vintage, luxury and from boutiques.
So, if you like the idea of a peer-to-peer clothes rental service but are looking for mid- or up-market clothes, it's worth looking into By Rotation.
In terms of the rental prices, they're ultimately up to the people lending out the clothes. Items should be priced based on their condition. Both lenders and renters will need to pay fees.
At the time of writing, there's a 15% fee for lenders and renters. Sellers, however, are charged 10% for each purchase and buyers, 12%. Find out more, including about other potential fees to be aware of, on By Rotation's website.
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Girl Meets Dress
Best for: Renting dresses.
Girl Meets Dress lets you rent clothes in one of two ways: either by renting individual pieces on a 'pay as you go' system or by paying £99 per month to rent three dresses at any one time. If you're considering the monthly membership, have a read of their website, as some conditions apply.
As the name suggests, the site is aimed at people who are hoping to rent a dress.
However, it's important to be wary of some of the prices on this site. While there are some good deals on there, we've previously seen a dress that was actually cheaper to buy in the sale on the brand's own website than it was to rent for two nights from Girl Meets Dress.
It's a good idea to check before renting from any site (not just Girl Meets Dress) how much the item costs to rent or buy elsewhere. And this is especially the case if you're thinking about splashing out on a monthly subscription.
To spot the best deals, look out for the RRP price of clothes as well as their rental cost. This should indicate which pieces are the best value for money to rent.
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Front Row
Best for: Renting designer clothes and accessories.
Front Row is another clothes rental website that specialises in designer clothes and accessories. From established brands like Chanel and Gucci to up-and-coming brands, you're spoiled for choice.
With Front Row, you can hire items for three- or five-day periods. Prices usually sit between 5% – 15% of the retail price. For example, renting a £3,000 Chanel dress could cost you £175 for three days, and £250 for five days.
One thing to note is that when renting items with Front Row, you can add a £15 insurance policy per item. This will cover any minor damages. Keep in mind that this doesn’t cover major damage or loss of the item. If this happens, you will have to pay to repair or replace the item.
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Baukjen
Best for: Renting basics from a sustainable brand.
Baukjen doesn't have a ton of items available for rental, which is why we've placed it as one of the last brands on our list, but it's still a good service to consider.
The brand mainly focuses on selling its clothes, but it also rents out some of its wardrobe staples.
Baukjen's brand focuses on slow fashion, working on becoming carbon-negative. It even won the 2021 UN Global Climate Action Award – showing the world that fashion can indeed be done differently.
You can rent items for two weeks, and they're cleaned by Baukjen with its eco-friendly Ozone Room.
One downside of renting with Baukjen is the price. Even though you can rent the items for two full weeks, you could be paying over 30% of the retail price for the item. For example, renting a £449 leather jacket will set you back £166 for two weeks.
It also charges a hefty late fee of £20 per day per item, so make sure to send it back on time!
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Blanqo
Best for: Renting stylish skiwear.
Even with our tips on cheap skiing holidays, a trip to the snowy mountains can get pretty pricey. And buying brand-new skiwear doesn't quite fit the average student's budget...
Blanqo offers a solution. You can rent stylish skiwear for a fraction of the retail price (usually around 15% – 20% for six days). Jackets, trousers or a one-piece – Blanqo's got them all.
It's possible to rent them for anywhere between six and 21 days, though they suggest you choose a delivery date three days before a skiing holiday to try on your outfit and make sure it fits before you leave.
Especially as you don't use skiwear very often, you could save a lot of money by renting while still looking your very best. For example, a £700 Poivre Blanc ski suit can be rented for seven days for £75.
You don't have to worry about wear and tear, but beware, there's no insurance for major damage or loss. Also, watch out for the £50 daily late fee.
9 things to know about renting clothes
Here are the things you need to know before renting clothes:
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There can be additional fees when renting clothes
Sometimes when scrolling through clothes rental sites, it's not immediately clear how much it actually costs to rent clothes once fees have been added.
Often, the best way to know for sure how much you need to pay to rent an item is by going through to the checkout stage. At this point, any additional fees such as accidental damage insurance and delivery costs should be added to the total price.
It's also important to read the site's terms of service before renting, in case there are any more potential fees that you hadn't been anticipating.
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Rented clothes need to be returned on time
Credit: Chutima Chaochaiya - Shutterstock
Leading on from the point about fees, you must return your items on time to avoid getting charged late fees.
It should be very clear how and when you need to return the items, so make sure you stick to this. If you're at all unsure, contact the clothes rental service for confirmation.
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You don't usually need to clean rented clothing
Generally, when you rent clothes, you don't need to clean them yourself. Dry cleaning should be handled by the rental service or by the individual who has lent the clothes out to you.
In fact, some clothing rental sites explicitly ask you not to wash the clothes yourself. Again, for confirmation, it's a good idea to double-check with the company you're renting clothing from.
The clothes should have been cleaned before they were sent to you. But if you're not happy with their condition, contact the lender/rental service about this.
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Check the retail price before you rent clothes
As we mentioned earlier with Girl Meets Dress, an item may be available to buy elsewhere for less than it costs to rent (particularly if it's on sale).
Before renting clothes, do a bit of shopping around to see if you really are getting a good deal.
Keep in mind that renting is a great way to avoid wasting new clothes if you're not expecting to re-wear them much. But, if you think you'll get better value for money by buying them, this is still worth considering. Plus, you have the option to sell the clothes later.
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You can sometimes buy the clothes you rent
When renting clothes, there's inevitably going to be a risk that you fall so in love with them that you don't want to give them back. Luckily, there is sometimes the option to buy items after renting them.
It won't always be the case, but there's never any harm in enquiring with the clothes rental service or the person who owns the clothes whether they'd be willing to sell them. If they are, you can arrange payment with them and the piece will be yours to keep!
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Clothing rental sites often sell discounted clothes
While renting clothes definitely has its perks, there might be times when you want to buy some to keep instead.
Some clothes rental services like Girl Meets Dress sell clothes, as well as lend them out. On sites like these, you can often find clothes that are on sale for less than their RRP.
However, if you're struggling to find sustainable brands on these sites, they're far from your only options. Check out these eco-friendly fashion stores for more ideas.
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You can request specific delivery dates
Deciding on the right delivery dates is very important when you rent clothes.
If you're renting an item for four or five days for a specific occasion, it could help to arrange for it to arrive a couple of days before the event. There's a chance that it won't fit or look quite as you were hoping it would, in which case you should have (just about) enough time to find a replacement outfit.
At times when your rental dates begin or end on a Sunday/Bank Holiday, delivery and returns might work slightly differently than usual.
For example, it may be that the items are delivered a couple of days earlier, or that you need to return the items slightly early to guarantee they'll arrive on time. If you're unsure about this, check with the clothes rental company for confirmation.
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You might need to pay a deposit to rent clothes
You might have noticed that some of the clothes and accessories available to rent from sites like HURR are extremely valuable. For the highest-priced items, you might be asked to pay a deposit when renting them.
It should be fully refundable as long as you return the item in good condition, but it's important to factor it into the upfront cost of renting.
Of course, you should always make an effort to look after the rental clothes and try not to damage or lose them. But accidents do happen, so it's important to be aware that you could potentially lose the deposit money if anything happens to the clothes.
If you don't feel like you could afford to lose the deposit money, this indicates it would be too much of a risk to rent this item.
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Not all clothes are available for rental
A wide range of clothes and accessories are available to rent. However, as a general rule, you won't be able to rent intimate items of clothing such as underwear and swimwear.
When buying items like these, to avoid fast fashion, you could try shopping from an eco-conscious store. In fact, Batoko, a brilliant swimwear shop, has made it to our list of the best sustainable fashion brands.
Renting clothes is just one way to avoid waste and live more sustainably. For more ideas, head over to our guide on the best ways to reduce your carbon footprint.
