Image courtesy of Armarium
We have partnered with Armarium on a Green Carpet Challenge rental pop-up shop in LA for awards season, to make renting your look for the red carpet easy and green.
Over the past year we’ve seen fashion’s sharing economy really take off, with more and more people turning to second-hand and vintage shops for unique and more conscious fashion finds (the global resell market was valued at almost $20 billion at the end of 2018). But what happens when you have a big event coming up (say, an awards ceremony) and you haven’t got time to scour the shops for that perfect vintage haute couture dress?
Of course, you maybe have something in your wardrobe already that you can rewear, but on the occasions where you do need to find something new, you can now rent your dream outfit for a fraction of the retail cost – good for both your bank balance and for the planet.
The fashion rental market has exploded over the past year, with recent research revealing that the global online clothing rental market is set to surpass $3,299.6 million by 2026. And now Armarium have launched the first rental pop-up in Los Angeles especially for award season, giving fashion lovers across the west coast the chance to access noteworthy celebrity and editorial styling and rent designer pieces off-line in order to add a spot of green glamour to the red carpet.
“LA during award season celebrates the ultimate in glamour and style,” says Trisha Gregory, founder of Armarium. “We wanted fashion lovers across the West Coast to thus be able to take part by giving them the exclusive access to celebrity and editorial styling and rent designer pieces in a beautiful in person environment, in order to take part in their own red carpet experience.”
Showing the world that ethics and aesthetics can co-exist, the Armarium pop-up gives guests a full green carpet experience, with a range of open talks and events taking place centred around the importance of sustainability within fashion. “We have worked to create an experience for our consumer that gives them full access to a luxury fashion experience that is ethical and affordable,” explains Trisha. “Thanks to our modern approach to retail, Armarium has the incredible ability to help influence the conversation related to consumption and a more considerable consumer footprint and we felt it was an important one. With rental, Armarium’s clients truly can benefit from experiencing luxury fashion without a compromise. Our goal is to show consumers that style doesn’t have to be sacrificed for ethical practices, which we will do with the help of our stylists and celebrity participants.”
Model Mafia model and avid environmentalist, Jessica Jones – who recently co-founded Tap, a water app that helps you find refill points when travelling to places you’re not familiar with to ensure you don’t have to buy single-use plastic water bottles – modelled some of the looks from Armarium’s latest collection that are perfect for awards season.
“Everyone likes to dress up. However the more you learn about waste in the fashion industry, the less positive you feel buying pretty things. Renting is a progressive move. It’s the new sharing economy,” says Jessica.
Model Mafia members work together to choose which projects they partake in, including a checklist for causes and brands. “Armarium met the checklist and were an exciting addition to our partners because they’re physically and emotionally changing the way fashionistas consume – borrowing and sharing instead of consuming and wasting.”
In providing a more sustainable fashion solution, the rental model is helping people to rethink their consumption habits. “We have the tremendous impact and ability to change the conversation around need, want and the lifecycle of the fashion garment,” says Trisha. “Through Armarium’s servicing, our clients can access the best in luxury designer fashion without the excess of over-consumption. We are helping to challenge the meaning of fast fashion and rewarding the customer with more high end yet affordable alternatives then traditional retail.”
The Armarium: Pop-Up up will be open on 8406 Melrose Avenue from February 1st to 25th between 10am and 6pm. The pop-up is free to explore although booking is required for special events.
Inspired by the idea of renting your clothes? Read more about it here.