How fashion rental companies help designers reach new customers

Luxury fashion rental companies have become unlikely allies for designer brands.

Platforms like Rent the Runway, armed with data on what their customers like, are working with high end brands to inform their collections of luxury dresses, accessories and outerwear. Some items on Rent the Runway are even designed exclusively for the platform, where customers can rent them for 10 to 20 percent of the full retail price. If a designer collection isn’t eye-catching enough, or trendy enough, Rent the Runway will consult with the designers in order to get pieces custom-made specifically to appeal to the company’s customer demographic. Sarah Tam, Rent the Runway’s svp of merchandising, works with labels like Tanya Taylor, Jason Wu, Marchesa and others to guide them in designing more rentable pieces.