Wedding season shopping woes? Try peer-to-peer clothing rentals | Canada Voices

On her honeymoon to the Maldives last January, Alicia Levy wore a short, sparkly pink dress that made her feel like her most confident, beautiful self. Although she borrowed the item from someone else’s closet, it was a perfect fit.

The made-for-vacation dress by Asta Resort retails for $405. But on Rax, the peer-to-peer wardrobe rental app, it cost $240 for Levy to borrow the item for 20 days. (For a four-day rental period, it costs just $150.)

“I may not be eager to go on their website and buy the dress outright because of the price on it,” Levy said. “I’m way more enticed to rent the item and try it out because it’s only a fraction of the price.”

The Oakville-based commercial cleaning company executive and content creator has been using Rax since it first launched in 2023. The app lets users rent out their clothes and borrow pieces from others’ closets for significantly less than the retail cost. Levy has borrowed 13 different pieces from users on the app over the years, as well as rented out items from her own closet.

“You get to be more adventurous,” Levy said. “You’re more willing to step outside of your comfort zone and try new designers and new styles because you don’t have to fully commit.”

While Rax is the only nationwide app of its kind in Canada, similar, locally based platforms have been popping up across the country and beyond. In New York, Pickle is a popular choice among environmentally and financially conscious fashion lovers, as are Nonni and Grabbed in Vancouver and Montreal, respectively.

The concept seems to resonate at a time when shoppers are becoming increasingly aware of the effects of fast fashion on the environment and luxury brand prices have skyrocketed.

Founder Marley Alles came up with the concept for Rax in the summer of 2022, at the height of wedding season. She found herself constantly needing new outfits to wear to bridal showers, bachelorette parties and weddings, accumulating a collection of pieces purchased for one-off events. When a friend asked to borrow one of the many dresses collecting dust in her closet, the idea dawned on her.

“I thought, ‘I wonder if this could be done on a larger scale,’” Alles said. “I’m sure there’s someone else who would want this dress and not want to pay full price for it.”

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With a background in startups and growth marketing, the 30-year-old Toronto resident decided to start a peer clothing rental business.

When browsing the app, renters can see where lenders are located and determine whether they want to pick up the item in person or use the app’s built-in shipping option. Returns are done the same way. Renters also have the option to purchase insurance on an item, which covers minor wear and tear. If they don’t purchase insurance and then damage the piece of clothing, the renter is liable for the full cost of the item. Lenders are responsible for having items cleaned before and after they are rented.

Today, Rax has close to 10,000 users who lend and rent through the app. Lending offers users an opportunity to generate passive income, with some earning thousands of dollars from items they already own, according to Alles. Renters get to try new pieces for a relative bargain. While lenders set their own fees, Rax typically recommends pricing apparel at a roughly 80-per-cent discount from the retail cost, with prices varying depending on whether you rent for as few as four days or, in some cases, as long as six months.

It’s a way for people to test out new designers, brands and styles. It’s also a way to participate in the circular economy.

For content creators such as Levy, who frequently attend events, the pressure to wear something new can lead to excessive purchases and waste. But platforms like Rax offer an alternative.

“Buying a different dress for every single event is really promoting that mass consumption,” Levy said. “If I’m renting, then I’m helping the environment and I’m not contributing to this never-ending cycle.”

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In Montreal, 26-year-old Cassidy Chetrit runs Grabbed, a small-scale peer dress rental business that she curates and operates through her website and Instagram. Similarly to Alles, she was inspired to start the company in 2024, when a friend expressed interest in borrowing a dress that had been hanging unworn at the back of her closet.

Chetrit had already been feeling frustrated by how many pieces she was buying for friends’ events, and how few affordable, good-quality options there seemed to be. A rental platform seemed like an obvious solution.

“Trends move faster than ever, especially with fast fashion,” she said. “There’s a constant pressure to wear something new, to wear something better.”

Operating out of a small studio, Chetrit invites her roughly 4,000 clients to try on dresses in person before renting. She collaborates with lenders on pricing, which typically falls between 10 and 30 per cent of the original cost.

Liz Therrien, 34, is a pharmaceutical sales rep and frequent Grabbed customer. For a recent work gala, she rented a black House of Harlow dress through Chetrit’s platform.

“I felt really put together and got so many compliments,” she said. “All of her dresses honestly make me feel great.”