Looking for the perfect outfit for an upcoming event? Instead of buying something you’re only going to wear once, why not rent one?

Our go-to for a little dress rental magic is The Fitzroy. Owned and operated by BFFs Angela Pastor and Julie Buczkowski, The Fitzroy stocks dress rentals from brands like For Love And Lemons, Ronny Kobo, Rachel Zoe, Reformation, and more, as well as handbags.

We dropped by The Fitzroy, which is located at 225 Sterling Road in Toronto, with our friend Tanya Casole-Gouveia, who was looking for an outfit to rent for Art Battle, an event that she hosts at The Gladstone Hotel in Toronto.

Take a peek at some of the dresses she tried on and what she ended up picking!

Visit The Fitzroy at 225 Sterling Road in Toronto, or online at www.fitzroyrentals.com to start browsing dress and handbag rentals.

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In a time of countless opportunities to dress to impress, maintaining a social media feed full of never-been-Instagrammed-before clothing is tricky. With a newfound appreciation for both minimalism and sustainable fashion, renting clothing and accessories makes perfect sense.

This is especially the case in a time when anxiety-inducing living costs in many major cities leave little cash left to add more designer dresses or purses to your busting-at-the-seams condo-size closet.Recognizing a market opportunity, a handful of well curated clothing and accessory companies have opened up shop in recent years. These Canadian fashion rental companies are offering all of the designer labels your heart desires – even if they’re only yours for a hot minute.

Here are 9 Canadian fashion rental companies you should know about!

Atelier Privé

In forever-fashionable Montreal, Atelier Privé’s appointment-only showroom offers editorial-worthy designer cocktail dresses, gowns, and jumpsuits, along with clutches and jewellery to complete the look. These include brands like Badgley Mischka, ML Monique Lhuillier, Keepsake, and Cynthia Rowley, to name a few. Three-day dress rentals here cost from about $80 to $200. If you’re strapped for time, there is the option of returning the garment via courier for an additional cost.

Rent Frock Repeat

Rent Frock Repeat is the pioneer in Toronto’s dress and accessory rental scene. Recently, it took a cue from the U.S. by adopting a subscription-based business model starting this fall and adding everyday wear to its lineup. Members will be able to rent workwear, weekend wear, and outerwear, and will receive a monthly box of clothing delivered to their home. The pieces can be selected by customers, or curated by an in-house stylist. The company closed the doors to its physical showroom, and regular dress rentals are currently on hold but will resume renting online this fall as part of the subscription service. Sign up to get on the wait-list for its new subscription service.

The Fitzroy

The Fitzroy compares itself to your best friend’s closet, only with better stuff. Having recently outgrown its original location, it’s moved to a much larger spot in the city’s west end. Offering a quick (fancy) fix even at the 11th hour, it’s shiny new sprawling showroom is filled with conversation-starting cocktail dresses, gowns (which rent from around $70 to $110 for the standard four-day rental), and is open seven days a week, with no appointment necessary! In addition to dresses, you can also rent an assortment of handbags and fascinators of all colours – perfect for a day at the races this summer.

KukaMelon

Keeping you well accessorized, new Toronto-based startup KukaMelon offers sunglasses and handbag rentals on a subscription basis. For $39 per month, subscribers can expect a prettily packaged designer purse delivered to their homes each month. Allowing the ability to switch up the shades for each summer festival without denting the wallet, members can also opt for sunglasses for $29 per month. Users ship their borrowed goods back after 30 days, unless they opt to extend the rental on a monthly basis.

dresst  

Officially launched on March 1, dresst is Canada’s newest online subscription clothing company. This retailer is ensuring you always have something new to wear. This online closet is full of contemporary designers like Ted Baker, Free People, Current & Elliott, Joie as well as some less accessible brands like Gal Meets Glam and Vince For $99 per month, women can select three items from the dresst closet to wear as their own.

Goldie

Another newer player on Toronto’s bustling dress rental scene is Goldie. Within its Dupont Street showroom, you’ll find over 30 different brands and over 150 dresses for rent. Goldie stocks items that are difficult to find in Canada, as well as assortment of vintage and designer haute couture options. Rentals range from $50 to $185 for a four-day loan. Dresses are neatly organized by category for guests to browse online, whether you’re in the market for an afternoon affair, a business function, a wedding, or date night. Guests are invited to make appointments online and nationwide shipping is available for those who live outside Toronto (for an additional $25 to $35).

Flauntbox

On the west coast, Flauntbox – which launched in 2015 – offers an assortment of vintage and designer cocktail dresses and gowns from beloved eventwear labels like Alice + Oliva, Elizabeth and James and Zac Posen. The frocks are available both at the company’s Coquitlam, B.C., studio or via its website. Dress rentals range from about $70 to $150 for a four-day rental. Helping your cause, the fee includes nationwide shipping. The company also just launched a monthly subscription service for $99 per month.

Boro

Toronto-based Boro is filled with finds straight from the closets of Canada’s most fashionable. For a rental period of four, 10 or 30 days, you can rent online from individuals who list their pre-worn and pre-loved garments and handbags on the site. With prices ranging from $45 to $125 that include dry cleaning costs, brands include names like Marchesa, Valentino, YSL, Gucci, and Chanel. Also, returns and shipping are free.

Sprout Collection

Putting together your dream wardrobe is easy with Sprout Collection! The Canadian fashion rental company, which originally began as a maternity clothing subscription box, recently launched non-maternity packages. Each month, subscribers can pick two or more pieces from the Sprout Collection and have them shipped straight to their home. For $79 to $119 a month, each package includes your pieces of choice, plus free shipping, return labels, and dry cleaning. It’s a great way to add new pieces to your closet in a environmentally and economically conscious way.

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Why buy when you can rent? While not everyone may echo the sentiment when it comes to living situations (even though there’s no shame in renting), renting clothes makes increasing sense to the conscious clothing consumer in today’s sharing economy. So does buying used clothing from major retailers.

Clothing rental companies, especially those busting at the seams with coveted cocktail dresses – have been around for a solid decade.

It was back in 2009 when New York City-based Rent the Runway came onto the scene to switch up the game allowing babes on budgets to rent designer frocks, democratizing high-fashion in the process.

But now, mainstream retailers – everyone from American Eagle, H&M, and Urban Outfitters, to Banana Republic and JC Penney are getting taking their chances with used clothing.

The way things are heading, renting could become the future of retail – at least, that’s what the numbers and figures reveal.

As The Wall Street Journal reports, according to GlobalData Retail, the rental apparel market (excluding costume rental) has been steadily growing by more than 20 per cent each year. In 2018, the market was valued at about $1 billion and experts project it will exceed $2.5 billion by 2023.

This past summer, Urban Outfitters (which also owns Free People and Anthropologie) made headlines when it launched an $88 USD monthly subscription service called Nuuly. This service allows customers – who tend to represent a younger demographic of shopper – to borrow 6 items from these brands, outside labels, and even carefully sourced vintage items.

Even fast fashion retailers are turning their eyes toward the rental market.

This past spring (actually, at the launch of its most sustainably made collection to date), H&M’s head of design, Ann-Sofie Johansson announced that the company was exploring the idea of a rental service(!!!).

Recognizing a market opportunity, third-party companies are emerging to help some of the world’s biggest shopping mall staples enter the rental market.

For example, startup CaaStle offers a web platform for retailers like American Eagle, Express, Ann Taylor, and Rebecca Taylor to rent apparel and take care of all the associated logistics like shipping and dry cleaning.

During a time when retail brands are struggling to keep shoppers coming into bricks and mortar stores, thanks to the mass surge in online shopping, the slippery slope in getting into the rental business involves being careful not to discourage shoppers from visiting their stores or actually purchasing items online.

The hope is that once customers fall in love with an item via a trial rental run, they’ll realize that they can’t live without something similar as a wardrobe staple. Many rental services offer the option to buy the garments as well. The idea, of course, is for rental to complement traditional retail channels.

Studies have revealed that the millennial set prefers renting to owning, well, pretty much anything.

When it comes to their wardrobes, millennials have become more “woke” to social justice and sustainability issues and are very aware of the environmental impacts of fast fashion. Not to mention, the younger generation generally value experiences over material things when deciding where to spend their precious dollars.

Furthermore, the Marie Kondo craze has inspired a generation of experts in decluttering as minimalism becomes more than a buzzword. 

Let’s not forget that in cities like Toronto and Vancouver, sky-high real estate prices mean that closet sizes often leave a lot to be desired.

Not to mention, renting a portion of your wardrobe means you can at least pretend that renting your living space isn’t eating up most of your paycheque. Renting is just one part of retails radical shift.

Some of North America’s biggest retailers are now getting into the thrift business, looking to sell used clothing like its going out of style.

Last month, Macy’s Inc. and J.C. Penney announced partnerships with resale marketplace thredUp Inc. to sell used items in some stores and Levis has been selling vintage denim in select stores since 2017.

Not only does the thrift business speak to the environmentally aware shopper, it also offers a means for people to clear their tiny closets of items they no longer wear.

Whatever the case, the bottom line is that consumers are no longer closeted when it comes to renting their clothing or turning to second-hand options. Rather than shameful, it’s savvy on behalf of both shoppers and sellers.