By Claire-Marie Scott | LTVN Executive Producer
One of the joys of college is the opportunity to go to a variety different events. From birthday parties to formals and other themed events, there are many ways social calendars can fill up throughout the semester.
One of the struggles of having so many fun events is not knowing how to dress for all of them, and with the steep price of clothing, buying something new every time is not a feasible option for many students. This is why I turned to renting clothing. The affordability, diversity of options and sustainability efforts make renting better than buying.
With the popularity of fast fashion, rental clothing provides a more environmentally conscious way to enjoy new pieces of clothing. According to a study done by MIT, every 5 and a half days the average consumer in the U.S. purchases one item of clothing.
This short time span, while shocking in and of itself, is made more shocking when thinking about how much production and material is used for each piece. Renting apparel allows for the same garment to be used several times, rather than collecting dust in the back of the closet.
Rental clothing is also typically more affordable. My favorite place to rent from is Nuuly. At Nuuly, every month you get 6 items of clothing for $99, or if you have the student discount, $89. I have rented items from Nuuly that retail for upwards of $300, making it so much more affordable to rent and wear when needed that month, as opposed to buying.
With all the events and game days, being able to plan ahead and get multiple outfits that work for one price makes sense.
Rent the Runway is another service that rents designer items for cheaper prices. There are different levels of subscriptions so that every budget has a plan that would work best.
Lastly, rental clothing companies have a plethora of diverse options to choose from. I have rented everything from workout dresses to semi-formal outfits and professional items from Nuuly. It has helped me not to get bored with what is in my closet but rather have a few new items throughout the month to enjoy.
According to buythrift.com, another pro of renting is the ability to test trends and see if you want to actually buy a piece before taking on the financial burden. I have loved being able to try different pieces that I normally wouldn’t choose for myself.
There’s truly no better compliment than when you are wearing something new and you get to tell them that it is rented.
So, the next time you have a lot of events coming up that you need to shop for, think about renting instead of buying. Renting is more cost effective, is beneficial for the environment and offers diverse options that you might not have ever thought of before. Happy styling, bears.
