According to WWD, FashionPass is suing Rent the Runway’s fashion rental service. FashionPass alleges that Rent the Runway “has embarked upon a wrongful and anticompetitive scheme by coercing top suppliers to sign agreements that prevent them selling merchandise to other clothing rental businesses.”
FashionPass claims it has lost 20 suppliers including three of its top five revenue-generating brands after these companies signed an exclusive agreement with Rent the Runway. According to the smaller company, it has lost more than 200,000 US Dollars. FashionPass seeks damages exceeding 6 million US Dollars.
Rent the Runway was founded in 2009 by Jennifer Fleisss and Jennifer Hyman. It is the largest US platform for renting designer apparel, accessories, and home decor. The company has over 600 brands. In its largest round of funding to date, Rent the Runway received 125 million US Dollars. This has increased its value to over 1 billion US Dollars.
- FashionPass was established in 2016 by Brittany Johnson. She started it from her Los Angeles apartment.
- FashionUnited reached out to FashionPass and Rent the Runway in order to obtain their comments. Once any company responds to our request, this article will be updated.
FashionPass is an influencer version of Rent the Runway
Brittany Johnson did not create FashionPass with influencers as her goal. I was told by Johnson that she came up with FashionPass in college because she wanted to find new outfits for parties. She began to look for other options after trying Rent the Runway, Le Tote and others that matched her style. She said that she felt they were not speaking to her or any of her friends. I wasn’t impressed with their product offerings, and the way they spoke to customers. It didn’t feel like a friend, it felt more like borrowing money from a large company. I thought, “I want to borrow from my friend.” “I want to borrow from someone who feels the same as me at the other side of this.
Johnson did not want FashionPass’s offerings philip daniel bolden any different than Rent the Runway’s. FashionPass is suing the clothing rental giant for allegedly dominating the market through exclusive deals with suppliers. Some of these suppliers have subsequently canceled their contracts to FashionPass.
FashionPass, like other subscription services, sends users a set number of items at a flat monthly cost, regardless of the retail price. There are three levels to FashionPass: Trendsetter ($109 per month), where users can rent three articles and one accessory each; Socialite ($79 per month), which allows them to yellow sun dress rent two articles and two accessories at a time; Wanderlust ($139/month), which gives them four articles and three accessories. You can swap the items out as often as you wish. FashionPass works in a similar way to Rent the Runway Unlimited. However, FashionPass focuses less on designer brands and more on fast fashion.
FashionPass carries brands such as Free People and For Love & Lemons that have a beachy, music festival vibe. Johnson said that all the products look like something Bachelor contestants would wear on a date. Johnson also revealed that several past contestants have been brand ambassadors. After Johnson’s team reached fashion Kendall Long, she began using the service. Long explained to me via email that it was difficult to have different looks for photo shoots, interviews, and events. “I don’t wear the same thing more often than once or twice because everyone seems to be so fashion-savvy and has new looks!”
Johnson stated that FashionPass targets women aged between 24 and 32. “The girl who lives on Instagram is the one that shops at Planet Blue and Revolve, and goes to festivals and dates. She is going through major life changes. She said she was going to weddings. (FashionPass allows users to search for outfits in six categories, including Work, Vacay Festival, Festival Night Out, Weddings and Bridal. She’s also having lots and tons of fun, posting every day on Instagram.
Johnson believes that the target FashionPass customer spends a lot of money on outfits and experiences she posts online. She stated that she believes Instagram is driving the rental industry. Not sustainability. It is not a desire for less but the need to consume more to maintain a certain image on social media and to make a career out of it as an influencer.
