Fashion partnership brings together rental and retail experiences

Established, high-end fashion outlet, Neiman Marcus has partnered with online rental company, Rent The Runway, to open a new outlet which allows shoppers to rent and buy in the same location.

Back in 2009, Springwise wrote about Rent The Runway, an online rental company that allows users to enjoy designer clothing by hiring instead of purchasing. The company has now partnered with San Francisco based, high-end fashion retailer, Neiman Marcus, to disrupt the sector even further.

Rent The Runway, which already has several of its own brick and mortar outlets, has now opened a unit inside Neiman Marcus in Union Square, San Francisco. Customers can choose to buy or rent clothing in the same place. The space is staffed with both Rent the Runway stylists and Neiman Marcus associates who assist customers in completing their desired look. The 2,500 square foot area offers shoppers a rotating selection of dresses from four hundred participating designers, including Diane von Furstenberg, Derek Lam and Jason Wu. What’s more, the accompanying app allows shoppers to check on currently stocked styles and book rentals. Talking about the partnership, Rent The Runway’s founder Jennifer Hyman explains, “It’s exciting to see the acceptance that rent-buy is how the modern woman gets dressed.”

Rent The Runway users are, on average, 20 years younger than the standard customer base of department stores. The partnership may attract the next generation of women to luxury fashion by allowing them to ‘fall in love’ with designer fashions by initially renting the merchandise. It may also profile rental fashion to the older, late adopters, Neiman Marcus’ traditional customer base.