Clothes-hire future of high street fashion?

CHRIS GREEN

LONDON: It could be described as the Netflix for clothes: a subscription service which allows fashionconscious shoppers to stroll into their favourite store and rent that must-have item straight off the rail, all for a flat monthly fee.

As retailers look for fresh ways to keep customers coming into stores, renting clothes could soon become a normal part of the British high street, according to a report by one of the world’s leading shopping centre owners.

The idea appeals to the so-called “millennial generation”, with almost half 25- to 34-year-olds saying they would be interested in a rental clothing scheme, the research by Westfield found.

Retail analysts said people of this age wanted to look stylish but might not have the money to splash out – making renting the solution.

“Consumers who have got used to a very disposable fashion-based economy where they are used to buying clothes every couple of months are now looking to be able to change clothes every couple of days – or even every day,” said Myf Ryan, chief marketing officer at Westfield in the UK and Europe. – The Independent