Fashion rental as a new and innovative channel alongside fashion retail
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7433/s120.2023.07Keywords:
fashion retailing; fashion rental; luxury fashion; Please Don’t Buy-Twinset case studyAbstract
Purpose of the paper: The aim of this paper is to explore from a business perspective fashion rental as a new alternative channel or collateral to fashion retail.
Methodology: A qualitative research design was carried out in Italy based on semi-structured interviews with CEOs-founders of fashion rental enterprises, and a case study on the Please Don’t Buy project launched by the Twinset fashion company.
Findings: The findings reveal the opportunities and challenges related to fashion rental as a new channel launched within the fashion retail industry.
Research limits: As the study is built on a qualitative research design and a single case study the findings are not generalizable, although they allow for an in-depth analysis of the fashion rental channel.
Practical implications: The study has managerial implications for established fashion brands wanting to collaborate with fashion rental platforms or engage directly with fashion rental following the Twinset project. It is also relevant for start-ups interested in launching their own digital rental platforms.
Originality of the paper: This research is the first to examine fashion rental as a new channel alongside that of fashion retail in response to new fashion consumption patterns.
References
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ADAMS W.C. (2015), “Conducting semi-structured interviews”, Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation, n. 4, pp. 492-505.
AMED I., BALCHANDANI A., BERG A., HEDRICH S., JENSEN J.E., LE MERLE L., ROLKENS F. (2021), The State of Fashion 2022, McKinsey, available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/state-of-fashion
ARMSTRONG C.M., NIINIMAKI K., KUJALA S., KARELL E., LANG C. (2015), “Sustainable product-service systems for clothing: exploring consumer perceptions of consumption alternatives in Finland”, Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 97, pp. 30-39.
ARRIGO E. (2022), “Digital platforms in fashion rental: a business model analysis”, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, vol. 26 n. 1, pp. 1-20.
BAEK E., OH G.E.G. (2021), “Diverse values of fashion rental service and contamination concern of consumers”, Journal of Business Research, vol. 123, pp. 165–175.
BAKER J., BENTLEY K., LAMB Jr C. (2020), “Service environment research opportunities”, Journal of Services Marketing, vol. 34 n. 3, pp. 335-346.
BECKER-LEIFHOLD C. (2018), “The role of values in collaborative fashion consumption-A critical investigation through the lenses of the theory of planned behaviour”, Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 199, pp. 781–791.
BECKER-LEIFHOLD C., IRAN S. (2018), “Collaborative fashion consumption–drivers, barriers and future pathways”, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, vol. 22 n. 2, pp. 189-208.
BOTSMAN R., ROGERS R. (2010), “What’s mine is yours”, The rise of collaborative consumption, 1.
BRAITHWAITE N. (2018), “Clothing rental could be the key to a stylishly sustainable fashion industry”, The Conversation, July 31, 2018, available at: https://theconversation.com/clothing-rental-couldbe-the-key-to-a-stylishly-sustainable-fashion-industry-100106 (accessed 19 January 2022).
BRYDGES T., HEINZE L., RETAMAL M., HENNINGER C.E. (2021), “Platforms and the pandemic: A case study of fashion rental platforms during COVID‐19”, The Geographical Journal, vol. 187, n. 1, pp. 57-63.
CHOI T.M., SHEN B. (2017), Luxury fashion retail management, Hong Kong, Springer.
CLUBE R.K., TENNANT M. (2020), “Exploring garment rental as a sustainable business model in the fashion industry: does contamination impact the consumption experience?”, Journal of Consumer Behaviour, vol. 19, n. 4, pp. 359-370.
CRISTINI H., KAUPPINEN-RAISANEN H., BARTHOD-PROTHADE M., WOODSIDE A. (2017), “Toward a general theory of luxury: Advancing from workbench definitions and theoretical transformations”, Journal of Business Research, vol. 70, pp. 101–107.
EISENHARDT K.M. (1989), “Building theories from case study research”, Academy of Management Review, vol. 14 n. 4, pp. 532-550.
EISENHARDT K.M., GRAEBNER M.E. (2007), “Theory building from cases: Opportunities and challenges”, Academy of Management Journal, vol. 50 n. 1, pp. 25-32.
FENG Y., TAN Y.R., DUAN Y., BAI Y. (2020), “Strategies analysis of luxury fashion rental platform in sharing economy”, Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, vol. 142, 102065.
GUZZETTI A., CRESPI R., BELVEDERE V. (2021), “Please don't buy!”: Consumers attitude to alternative luxury consumption”, Strategic Change, vol. 30 n. 1, pp. 67-78.
HAGEL M. (2020), “Has Covid-19 brought an end to clothing rental?” Retrieved at https://www.fashion-north.com/2020/12/04/has-covid-19-brought-an-end-to-clothing-rental/
HEINONEN K., STRANDVIK T. (2020), “Reframing service innovation: COVID-19 as a catalyst for imposed service innovation”, Journal of Service Management, vol. 32 n. 1, pp. 101-112.
HOLTSTROM J., BJELLERUP C., ERIKSSON J. (2019), “Business model development for sustainable apparel consumption”, Journal of Strategy and Management, vol. 12 n. 4, pp. 481-504.
IRAN S., SCHRADER U. (2017), “Collaborative fashion consumption and its environmental effects”, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, vol. 21 n. 4, pp. 468-482.
JAIN R., JAIN K., BEHL A., PEREIRA V., DEL GIUDICE M., VRONTIS D. (2022), “Mainstreaming fashion rental consumption: A systematic and thematic review of literature”, Journal of Business Research, vol. 139, pp. 1525-1539.
JAIN S., MISHRA S. (2020), “Luxury fashion consumption in sharing economy: A study of Indian millennials”, Journal of Global Fashion Marketing, vol. 11 n. 2, pp. 171-189.
JOHNSON E., PPLEPYS A. (2021), “Product-service systems and sustainability: Analysing the environmental impacts of rental clothing”, Sustainability, vol. 13 n. 4, 2118.
KABADAYI S., O’CONNOR G.E., TUZOVIC S. (2020), “The impact of coronavirus on service ecosystems as service mega-disruptions”, Journal of Services Marketing, vol. 34 n. 6, pp. 809-17.
KIM N.L., JIN B.E. (2020), “Why buy new when one can share? Exploring collaborative consumption motivations for consumer goods”, International Journal of Consumer Studies, vol. 44 n. 2, pp. 122–130.
LANG C., ARMSTRONG C.M.J. (2018), “Fashion leadership and intention toward clothing product-service retail models”, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, vol. 22 n. 4, pp. 571-587.
LANG C., LI M., ZHAO L. (2020), “Understanding consumers’ online fashion renting experiences: A text-mining approach”, Sustainable Production and Consumption, vol. 21, pp. 132-144.
LANG C., SEO S., LIU C. (2019), “Motivations and obstacles for fashion renting: a cross-cultural comparison”, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, vol. 23 n. 4, pp. 519-536.
LEE S.H., CHOW P.S. (2020), “Investigating consumer attitudes and intentions toward online fashion renting retailing”, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, vol. 52, 101892.
LEE S.H., HUANG R. (2020), “Consumer responses to online fashion renting: exploring the role of cultural differences”, International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, vol. 49 n. 2, pp. 187-203.
LI D., HUANGH Y., SUN H., ZHI B. (2022), “Achieving sustainability in sharing-based product service system: A contingency perspective”, Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 332, 129997.
MACHADO M.A.D., DE ALMEIDA S.O., BOLLICK L.C., BRAGAGNOLO G. (2019), “Second-hand fashion market: consumer role in circular economy”, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, vol. 23 n. 3, pp. 382-395.
McKINNEY E., SHIN E. (2016), “Exploring criteria consumers use in evaluating their online formal wear rental experience: A content analysis of online reviews”, Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, vol. 34 n. 4, pp. 272-286.
McNEILL L., VENTER B. (2019), “Identity, self‐concept and young women’s engagement with collaborative, sustainable fashion consumption models”, International Journal of Consumer Studies, vol. 43 n. 4, pp. 368-378.
MUKENDI A., HENNINGER C.E. (2020), “Exploring the spectrum of fashion rental”, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, vol. 24 n. 3, pp. 455-469.
PARK H., ARMSTRONG C.M.J. (2019), “Is money the biggest driver? Uncovering motives for engaging in online collaborative consumption retail models for apparel”, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, vol. 51, pp. 42-50.
PHAM H.T., HOANG K.T., NGUYEN T.T., DO P.H., MAR M.T.C. (2021), “Sharing Economy: Generation Z’s Intention Toward Online Fashion Rental in Vietnam”, Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, vol. 8 n. 3, pp. 997–1007.
SHRIVASTAVA A., JAIN G., KAMBLE S.S., BELHADI A. (2021), “Sustainability through online renting clothing: Circular fashion fueled by Instagram micro-celebrities”, Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 278, 123772.
STATISTA (2021), “Power Driven Hand Tools” available at: https://www.statista.com/study/78882/power-driven-hand-tools-in-the-sharing-economy/
STATISTA (2022), Statista Dossier Plus Shared Apparel, available at: https://www.statista.com/study/81132/apparel-market-in-the-sharing-economy/
STOCKER B., BAIER D., BRAND B.M. (2021), “New insights in online fashion retail returns from a customers’ perspective and their dynamics”, Journal of Business Economics, vol. 91 n. 8, pp. 1149-1187.
YIN R.K. (2017), Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, California
YUAN Q., SHEN B. (2019), “Renting fashion with strategic customers in the sharing economy”, International Journal of Production Economics, vol. 218, pp. 185-195.
ADAMS W.C. (2015), “Conducting semi-structured interviews”, Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation, n. 4, pp. 492-505.
AMED I., BALCHANDANI A., BERG A., HEDRICH S., JENSEN J.E., LE MERLE L., ROLKENS F. (2021), The State of Fashion 2022, McKinsey, available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/state-of-fashion
ARMSTRONG C.M., NIINIMAKI K., KUJALA S., KARELL E., LANG C. (2015), “Sustainable product-service systems for clothing: exploring consumer perceptions of consumption alternatives in Finland”, Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 97, pp. 30-39.
ARRIGO E. (2022), “Digital platforms in fashion rental: a business model analysis”, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, vol. 26 n. 1, pp. 1-20.
BAEK E., OH G.E.G. (2021), “Diverse values of fashion rental service and contamination concern of consumers”, Journal of Business Research, vol. 123, pp. 165–175.
BAKER J., BENTLEY K., LAMB Jr C. (2020), “Service environment research opportunities”, Journal of Services Marketing, vol. 34 n. 3, pp. 335-346.
BECKER-LEIFHOLD C. (2018), “The role of values in collaborative fashion consumption-A critical investigation through the lenses of the theory of planned behaviour”, Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 199, pp. 781–791.
BECKER-LEIFHOLD C., IRAN S. (2018), “Collaborative fashion consumption–drivers, barriers and future pathways”, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, vol. 22 n. 2, pp. 189-208.
BOTSMAN R., ROGERS R. (2010), “What’s mine is yours”, The rise of collaborative consumption, 1.
BRAITHWAITE N. (2018), “Clothing rental could be the key to a stylishly sustainable fashion industry”, The Conversation, July 31, 2018, available at: https://theconversation.com/clothing-rental-couldbe-the-key-to-a-stylishly-sustainable-fashion-industry-100106 (accessed 19 January 2022).
BRYDGES T., HEINZE L., RETAMAL M., HENNINGER C.E. (2021), “Platforms and the pandemic: A case study of fashion rental platforms during COVID‐19”, The Geographical Journal, vol. 187, n. 1, pp. 57-63.
CHOI T.M., SHEN B. (2017), Luxury fashion retail management, Hong Kong, Springer.
CLUBE R.K., TENNANT M. (2020), “Exploring garment rental as a sustainable business model in the fashion industry: does contamination impact the consumption experience?”, Journal of Consumer Behaviour, vol. 19, n. 4, pp. 359-370.
CRISTINI H., KAUPPINEN-RAISANEN H., BARTHOD-PROTHADE M., WOODSIDE A. (2017), “Toward a general theory of luxury: Advancing from workbench definitions and theoretical transformations”, Journal of Business Research, vol. 70, pp. 101–107.
EISENHARDT K.M. (1989), “Building theories from case study research”, Academy of Management Review, vol. 14 n. 4, pp. 532-550.
EISENHARDT K.M., GRAEBNER M.E. (2007), “Theory building from cases: Opportunities and challenges”, Academy of Management Journal, vol. 50 n. 1, pp. 25-32.
FENG Y., TAN Y.R., DUAN Y., BAI Y. (2020), “Strategies analysis of luxury fashion rental platform in sharing economy”, Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, vol. 142, 102065.
GUZZETTI A., CRESPI R., BELVEDERE V. (2021), “Please don't buy!”: Consumers attitude to alternative luxury consumption”, Strategic Change, vol. 30 n. 1, pp. 67-78.
HAGEL M. (2020), “Has Covid-19 brought an end to clothing rental?” Retrieved at https://www.fashion-north.com/2020/12/04/has-covid-19-brought-an-end-to-clothing-rental/
HEINONEN K., STRANDVIK T. (2020), “Reframing service innovation: COVID-19 as a catalyst for imposed service innovation”, Journal of Service Management, vol. 32 n. 1, pp. 101-112.
HOLTSTROM J., BJELLERUP C., ERIKSSON J. (2019), “Business model development for sustainable apparel consumption”, Journal of Strategy and Management, vol. 12 n. 4, pp. 481-504.
IRAN S., SCHRADER U. (2017), “Collaborative fashion consumption and its environmental effects”, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, vol. 21 n. 4, pp. 468-482.
JAIN R., JAIN K., BEHL A., PEREIRA V., DEL GIUDICE M., VRONTIS D. (2022), “Mainstreaming fashion rental consumption: A systematic and thematic review of literature”, Journal of Business Research, vol. 139, pp. 1525-1539.
JAIN S., MISHRA S. (2020), “Luxury fashion consumption in sharing economy: A study of Indian millennials”, Journal of Global Fashion Marketing, vol. 11 n. 2, pp. 171-189.
JOHNSON E., PPLEPYS A. (2021), “Product-service systems and sustainability: Analysing the environmental impacts of rental clothing”, Sustainability, vol. 13 n. 4, 2118.
KABADAYI S., O’CONNOR G.E., TUZOVIC S. (2020), “The impact of coronavirus on service ecosystems as service mega-disruptions”, Journal of Services Marketing, vol. 34 n. 6, pp. 809-17.
KIM N.L., JIN B.E. (2020), “Why buy new when one can share? Exploring collaborative consumption motivations for consumer goods”, International Journal of Consumer Studies, vol. 44 n. 2, pp. 122–130.
LANG C., ARMSTRONG C.M.J. (2018), “Fashion leadership and intention toward clothing product-service retail models”, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, vol. 22 n. 4, pp. 571-587.
LANG C., LI M., ZHAO L. (2020), “Understanding consumers’ online fashion renting experiences: A text-mining approach”, Sustainable Production and Consumption, vol. 21, pp. 132-144.
LANG C., SEO S., LIU C. (2019), “Motivations and obstacles for fashion renting: a cross-cultural comparison”, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, vol. 23 n. 4, pp. 519-536.
LEE S.H., CHOW P.S. (2020), “Investigating consumer attitudes and intentions toward online fashion renting retailing”, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, vol. 52, 101892.
LEE S.H., HUANG R. (2020), “Consumer responses to online fashion renting: exploring the role of cultural differences”, International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, vol. 49 n. 2, pp. 187-203.
LI D., HUANGH Y., SUN H., ZHI B. (2022), “Achieving sustainability in sharing-based product service system: A contingency perspective”, Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 332, 129997.
MACHADO M.A.D., DE ALMEIDA S.O., BOLLICK L.C., BRAGAGNOLO G. (2019), “Second-hand fashion market: consumer role in circular economy”, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, vol. 23 n. 3, pp. 382-395.
McKINNEY E., SHIN E. (2016), “Exploring criteria consumers use in evaluating their online formal wear rental experience: A content analysis of online reviews”, Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, vol. 34 n. 4, pp. 272-286.
McNEILL L., VENTER B. (2019), “Identity, self‐concept and young women’s engagement with collaborative, sustainable fashion consumption models”, International Journal of Consumer Studies, vol. 43 n. 4, pp. 368-378.
MUKENDI A., HENNINGER C.E. (2020), “Exploring the spectrum of fashion rental”, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, vol. 24 n. 3, pp. 455-469.
PARK H., ARMSTRONG C.M.J. (2019), “Is money the biggest driver? Uncovering motives for engaging in online collaborative consumption retail models for apparel”, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, vol. 51, pp. 42-50.
PHAM H.T., HOANG K.T., NGUYEN T.T., DO P.H., MAR M.T.C. (2021), “Sharing Economy: Generation Z’s Intention Toward Online Fashion Rental in Vietnam”, Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, vol. 8 n. 3, pp. 997–1007.
SHRIVASTAVA A., JAIN G., KAMBLE S.S., BELHADI A. (2021), “Sustainability through online renting clothing: Circular fashion fueled by Instagram micro-celebrities”, Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 278, 123772.
STATISTA (2021), “Power Driven Hand Tools” available at: https://www.statista.com/study/78882/power-driven-hand-tools-in-the-sharing-economy/
STATISTA (2022), Statista Dossier Plus Shared Apparel, available at: https://www.statista.com/study/81132/apparel-market-in-the-sharing-economy/
STOCKER B., BAIER D., BRAND B.M. (2021), “New insights in online fashion retail returns from a customers’ perspective and their dynamics”, Journal of Business Economics, vol. 91 n. 8, pp. 1149-1187.
YIN R.K. (2017), Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, California
YUAN Q., SHEN B. (2019), “Renting fashion with strategic customers in the sharing economy”, International Journal of Production Economics, vol. 218, pp. 185-195.
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2023-04-28
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