Rental app’s pop-up store pushes back against fast fashion
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By Rotation opened a physical pop-up to encourage more people to consider second-hand clothing over buying new
Spotted: Rental app By Rotation began in 2019 after founder Eshita Kabra-Davies witnessed the first-hand effects of textile waste while on her honeymoon in Rajasthan, India. The app allows users to rent out their own wardrobes and has more than 70,000 users. Now, By Rotation brought its concept into the real world with a physical pop-up at the Westfield London shopping centre.
The two-week pop-up occupied a 3,300 square-foot space and showcased the top fashion rental item from the app. Fans could rent fashion items and accessories from brands such as The Vampire’s Wife, Rix and Ganni – some for as little as £3 a day. The space was designed to resemble a flat, and also included rentable furniture and homewares from Studio Arva.
In addition to rentals, the pop-up also hosted masterclasses in techniques for both more sustainable and more stylish lifestyles. Classes included instruction in making flower crowns and table-scaping. This is not By Rotations’ first partnership, in May the app teamed up with London’s Page8 Hotel to offer guests a clothing rental concierge. The service allows guests to order items from a tailored lookbook to be delivered straight to their room, arriving in under 90 minutes or less.
Westfield marketing director Harita Shah, explained that Westfield was delighted to host By Rotation. He pointed out that the partnership, “builds on our legacy of the rental retail trend which will continue to grow, with 50 per cent of high-income shoppers wanting to rent product rather than buy. We love the concept of keeping your wardrobe fresh and style on point whilst being friendly to the planet.”
Fast fashion wastes a huge amount of resources, but for those who have little money to spend on new clothes, it also represents the only affordable fashion. Rental apps could solve both of these problems, which may be why we are seeing a growing number of them here at Springwise. Recent rental innovations include a subscription rental service for toys and a circular appliance rental system.