It’s time to embrace the nickname Generation Rent. I first heard of the term while working on the branding and marketing of housing developments in London – Gen Y will forever be Gen Rent if house prices don’t change.
But maybe, just maybe, rent is the way forward.
It certainly is with Wear The Walk, anyhow.
Your dream wardrobe…
…is just a monthly subscription away. And it’s ethical too! I first came across Wear The Walk (WTW) at Not My Style’s fashion event, where I was inextricably attracted to a LOUD striped jacket, and something I would never dare to buy myself. But upon speaking to Zoe Partridge, WTW’s founder, she told me that I didn’t have to buy it – I could wear outlandish ethical haute couture for a tiny percentage of the retail price using their rental scheme.
A week later, and I was behind the scenes in WTW’s giant wardrobe with rail-upon-rail of gorgeous pieces. There’s everything you could dream of – long flowing gowns, gold shiny skirts, faux mohair jackets, the list goes on… In fact, you can view their whole range on their website, alongside the designers they source their clothes from.
Thumbing through their collection, I was struck by this statement trench coat: The Jackie by Charlotte Zimbehl. It’s a piece of tailored perfection, combining a blocky, androgynous shape with a cinched waist. And you know me – anything grey, black or white and I love it.
Exemplary ethics
There’s a benefit to renting your clothes, more than just cost. You’re able to tap into designers and designs that have excellent ethics too. If we use Charlotte Zimbehl as an example: having selected this coat from the rail at Wear The Walk, I’ve bought into a brand that sources all their components ethically, opposes mass production, and makes their clothes in London. It’s something I wouldn’t normally be able to afford (not with a £790 price tag!) but I can enjoy both the better quality, style, fit and story this way.
How it works
Wear The Walk has two ways of operating, making it easy for you to use their service whether you want a one-off piece, or a constant stream of clothes. The first, and simplest way is to subscribe: you pay a set fee per month to rent two pieces from their extensive collection, with the option to change up the two you have as much as you want.
If you’d rather dip in and out of their range, perhaps for a special occasion, you can rent each piece on their website based on their individual price tags.
Once you’re finished with your item, you arrange pick up with them and then start all over again!
