HIRE CALLING
Designer Wardrobe’s Donielle Brooke on borrowing fashion
Designer Wardrobe founder Donielle Brooke started off selling her clothes in a private Facebook group. Now, over 180K people buy, sell and rent through her online marketplace and two stores. The Auckland-based entrepreneur shares her insights into the rental scene, and how it’s shaping consumer shopping habits.
How did Designer Wardrobe come to be?
I founded it while going through thyroid cancer, as I needed to find a way to pay my bills while being unwell and off work. I had the idea to start a marketplace that was focused on designer clothing. I started the platform on Facebook in 2013 and began by selling my own clothes. I invited all of my friends as well as people I knew from the fashion industry to join, and before I knew it, when I got through cancer, I had a strong community of 20K members who were actively buying, selling and renting. We now have a team of 15 full-timers; my business partners Aidan Bartlett (COO) and Donna Brooke (Mum) joined me on this journey and have been involved over the past five years. Recently, Ruby Morgan joined our team as CEO.
Some have called the rental market the ‘future of fashion’. What do you think is behind its popularity?
It’s the perfect tool for everyone to look amazing, and feel empowered. You can choose to be smarter with your spending as well as being more thoughtful about our planet.
The conversation around sustainable fashion choices and consumption is becoming more commonplace. Has this played a role in expanding your business?
Being both a rental platform as well as a “preloved” marketplace, makes us a great destination for anyone keen to explore more sustainable fashion options. We are, however, talking about this more this year as it’s an important conversation and something we can all keep improving on.
Have you noticed a shift in how your customers are shopping, and consuming fashion?
We have noticed that our members are talking about being more thoughtful when it comes to purchasing. For example, rather than buying a dress that they know they will only wear once, they rent it instead. And instead of having a wardrobe full of clothing and wearing only about 20 percent of it (the average) and constantly buying, they’re selling to then buy from designers (as it is high quality and will last longer). It’s amazing to see – this is why I felt New Zealand customers needed a marketplace like Designer Wardrobe and I am so happy it’s being embraced for this purpose.
How have you navigated conversations around the impact of the rental market’s regular use of drycleaning?
We work exclusively with Regal Drycleaners, who are driving some excellent initiatives toward sustainable drycleaning. They use advanced cleaning methods based on biodegradable components and are heavily invested in leading European drycleaning technology, as well as using gentle cleaning solutions that are both biodegradable and eco-friendly.
How do you think the rental market is going to evolve?
We would love it to evolve from us buying items, to partnering with designers more closely as a part of their business. Ruby recently designed a dress that is ‘rental only’ on their website; when someone books it, Designer Wardrobe fulfills the rental. Because we do the ‘heavy lifting’, it’s great for designers as they can focus on what they do best (designing amazing pieces!). We are starting to also work with our members so they can rent out their own wardrobe through us. We have the items both in our stores and online, and members make some extra money rather than having unworn items sitting in their wardrobes. Soon they’ll also be able to track their bookings via the Designer Wardrobe platform.
What advice do you have for those who want to start shopping in a more environmentally-friendly way?
When you want to wear something once or twice, rent it! I would then have a wardrobe clean-out and sell any quality items on DW. Anything else that is much loved, I would donate. From there, have a minimal wardrobe mixed with high-quality designer or secondhand items. When you want to buy something you’ll wear over and over, I would recommend supporting NZ designers. Many of them are on a sustainability journey and doing amazing things for our planet. •