Rent the Runway, an online destination for dress and accessory rentals, has unveiled the first-ever online social shopping platform, “Our Runway”. It allows users to rent looks based on user-generated photos of real women with similar body types. The aim of this platform is to democratize luxury fashion and challenge the industry’s history of promoting thin models.
On the site, consumers can share pictures of varied attire worn to a wedding, a birthday bash, a first date night or a black tie gala. Taking inspiration from women with similar body shapes, consumers can utilize the Find Women Like Me tool, in which they enter their height, bust size, dress size and age, and can then view thousands of women with comparable shapes in dresses available for rent.
“Consumers today are incredibly smart and truly care about seeing what a product looks like on a real woman,” Jennifer Hyman, CEO and co-founder of Rent the Runway said. “With Our Runway, we are creating a platform for the everyday woman to discover amazing styles that work best for her body, and forming a community that celebrates every woman's special moments. It's empowering to see thousands of photos of diverse women of all ages, sizes and ethnicities feeling self-confident.”
Our Runway not only customizes the renting experience by narrowing down dress recommendations by size or silhouette, it also shows fellow renters with similar body shapes who have brought the dress from the computer screen to real life. The user will be able to filter through categories such as designer brand, price, color, style and desired delivery date. Rent the Runway members will also be able to comment on a customer's photo, asking questions about the fit or style of a dress, as well as other concerns.
“Our Runway is like the 'pay it forward' of online fashion, allowing our users to share their discovery of a brilliant cut for curves, a waist-narrowing seam or a neckline that draws all eyes up,” Jenny Fleiss, president and co-founder of Rent the Runway said. “Looking back on every major moment in a woman's life, she can always recall what she was wearing. We are using real customers to rent clothing, something that many retail brands would consider a risk, because we believe there is nothing more powerful than the confidence a woman exudes in a snapshot from her Rent the Runway moment,” she added.
The site acts as a very helpful tool when one is confused about the kind of look and style one should flaunt for a particular occasion. Also, the ease of renting dresses saves a lot of time and effort which one would normally waste while looking around for a particular dress seen online. The site carries a range of very innovative and stylish looks that are easy to follow and flaunt. Cosmopolitan magazine described the concept as “A serious closet upgrade.”
