Linen rental | OCU

The new ways of consuming also come to fashion. In Spain, subscription proposals are emerging to periodically rent clothes instead of buying them. A very interesting option for garments that may only be used for a limited time, such as clothes for children, who grow quickly, or for pregnant women, who change sizes often, or even for those who want to test the quality of certain brands. before you buy them.

In parallel, the use of renting clothing for occasional use is also spreading, such as party and ceremony outfits that are not worth buying for a single day. These proposals can be found online and also in physical stores where you can try on the clothes before the event.

Clothes rental: two modalities

Clothing rental platforms work in two ways and each one has its own peculiarities.

1. Monthly clothing rental

The first thing is to register and do a style test in which you indicate what type of clothes you like, what your style is and what sizes you wear.

2. Occasional clothing rental (for events)

Party clothes for weddings, communions and special events have a very sporadic use, so you may wonder if it's worth buying it, both for savings and sustainability. Faced with this need, rental options for party looks or more event-oriented garments have emerged.

The operation is always similar: the dress is delivered before the party, 4-5 days are given to wear it and a courier is sent to pick it up. Although the dry cleaning is usually included in the price, you have to pay attention to the issue of insurance, which sometimes involves an extra payment of 5-15 euros, as in the case of El Atelier de la guest, or a discount on the deposit, as in the case of Can you lend it to me?

Is it sustainable to rent clothes?

These options in principle promise to be more sustainable by avoiding the production of new garments. However, from an ecological point of view they are not a panacea if they only change "going shopping" for "renting new clothes every month" perpetuating the culture of textile hyper-consumption.

In terms of use, there are also different opinions: there are studies that indicate that renting clothes does not reduce the pressure on natural resources, but simply manages to democratize luxury by making it possible for consumers to access better quality clothes while paying less. And that these options can even contribute to a rebound effect by using a greater number of garments, taking advantage of the fact that they cost us less.

Ecodesign to avoid "use and throw away"

Products intended for rental must have an eco-design that makes them more durable to reduce premature obsolescence. If not, as soon as they are not "like new", they will become another waste. The solution is that they have a quality design meant to last and circular reuse at the end of their rental cycle.

Don't forget the environment

At OCU we insist that the most effective way to improve the environmental impact of clothing is to buy fewer items and wear them longer.

Rental platforms can contribute to this, since they manage to multiply the time of use with different users. However, although garment rental is advertised as one of the solutions to reduce the impact of textiles on the environment, its real effect depends on various factors such as the quality of the clothing that is rented and the use we make of this service. .

It is up to us to make responsible use of the different options available. Are you betting on sustainability? Consider these options and remember:

Go green with OCU