Our favourite queen of the pop scene, Beyoncé, has partnered with Rent the Runway to promote borrowing rather than buying your next outfit. Rent the Runway is the leading online boutique for hiring designer dresses and accessories. The partnership celebrates Beyoncé’s Mrs. Carter Show World Tour, and launched in time for fans to select outfits to wear to her concerts as she tours state side.
Beyoncé stated in a press release, ““Making women feel confident and beautiful is something I’ve always been passionate about. That’s why joining forces with Rent the Runway was so organic. It’s more than just access to beautiful clothes; it’s about making women look and feel their best.” There’s little doubt that access and aspiration will make the partnership a success. Clients can pay for a four-day hire of a designer dress starting from just $50, with many of the dresses boasting a RRP of more than $300. The curated boutique has plenty of pretty outfit options. Rent the Runway teases, “We promise they will make him want to put a ring on it”. Ring or no ring, savvy fashionistas are satiating their desire for personal style in new ways.
The growth of ‘collaborative consumption’ is likely to expand. Celebrities are smart to promote the phenomenon. It’s an alternative model for personal lifestyle that divests the traditional concept of ownership of some of its power, redirecting consumer purchasing power towards borrowing and sharing. Ownership may have signalled power and wealth in the past, but experiential lifestyle will be the focus of the future: what you experience is increasingly more socially significant than what you possess. So, rock a rented frock next time you set out to have some fun. Here are a selection of my favourite styles, images courtesy of Rent the Runway. Click on any of the photos below to visit the Beyoncé Boutique: