carlProlific London will now be showcasing our sustainable business of the month going forward, and we figured there would be no better place to start than featuring designer clothes rental service Hurr.
During Christmas 2018 Hurr hit the marketplace place changing the way the fashion industry operates with a business model geared towards making looking your best more sustainable and environmentally friendly. CEO Victoria Prew realised a critical issue, that the fast fashion industry’s constant demand for newness was in fact unsustainable. To address this problem, she pioneered a solution. Renting fashion instead of buying. By encouraging women to rent luxury trends and pieces, HURR allows them to enjoy the latest styles without draining their wallets or harming the environment.
How It Started
Victoria’s project started with a simple but ingenious concept. Inspired by the success of platforms like Uber and Airbnb, she questioned why a company couldn’t apply a similar concept to our wardrobes. The first iteration of the business involved visiting lenders’ homes to photograph their items. This eventually led to establishing a presence at Google’s Startups Campus and hosting a pop-up shop at Selfridges. Today, HURR is a tech-driven platform connecting thousands of renters and lenders, offering a smart and sustainable approach to fashion.
The platform, available through a website, app, and a permanent brick-and-mortar space at Selfridges in London, provides a mix of peer-to-peer rentals and items directly from exclusive brand partners. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved, as lenders can recoup the cost of an item after just a few rentals, and renters don’t have to drop obscene amounts of money for an item of clothing or a designer bag they may only use once.
Top lenders can earn substantial income, with some making over $43,000 a year from their wardrobes. HURR maintains quality by curating listings and providing valuable content on upcoming trends, predictions, and insights into top-performing pieces and brands. This curated approach ensures that users have access to high-quality and trendy fashion items for rent.
HURR attracts lenders primarily through organic traffic, with over 45,000 listings on the platform. More than 90% of their traffic comes through word-of-mouth, which is excellent as this highlights the platform’s trustworthiness. Places operating online are sometimes susceptible to scammers such as high-end sneaker sales platform Stock X being prone to this sort of activity. Such high praise via word of mouth gives customers the peace of mind that the business operates legitimately and protects its customers. That is not to say Stock X should be avoided of course, they do also protect their customers it’s just the sneaker market can be like the Wild West with so many fakes in circulation.
How it Works
Taking a peek at Hurr’s website instantly makes the realisation hit home of why so many people are now using the platform. Items are separated into different categories as is to be expected with many designer brands available to choose from including the likes of GANNI, Armarni and Jean Paul Gaultier. The renting and buying sections are also easy to navigate and a guide is readily available that explains how everything works and how the business operates for its customers. There is also a resale section for people wanting to part with their second-hand designer gear permanently.
The website has received rave reviews from its users, and right now is a total game changer when it comes to fashion and how people are shopping (in this case renting) for clothes.
