A new pop-up in Toronto allows shoppers to rent stylish wardrobe pieces from local influencers, promoting sustainable fashion and affordability.
A new temporary pop-up in Toronto is giving fashion enthusiasts the opportunity to refresh their wardrobes with trendy items sourced directly from local influencers’ closets. Launched by Rax, a Toronto-based peer-to-peer clothing rental app, this innovative retail experience is taking place at Stackt Market throughout the month of April. This initiative marks the first of its kind in Canada, allowing shoppers to explore a curated selection of garments while promoting sustainable fashion practices.
Marley Alles, the founder of Rax, explained the shopping process: “Shoppers can come in-store to browse around and try on items, and if they like it, they can rent it directly through the app.” The rental experience is designed to be user-friendly, with items available for rental for various lengths of time as specified by the sellers. Shoppers can even reserve event outfits in advance, ensuring that they are ready to go for special occasions like summer weddings.
The selection at the pop-up is exclusive to influential figures in Toronto, featuring wardrobes from Chanelle Garrow, Kysa Bashir, TSN anchor Sarni Nicole Davis, and Sandra, the founder of Sasa Swim. In addition, both Marley Alles and her sister are contributing pieces from their closets, enhancing the local appeal of the offerings. The pop-up includes fashionable pieces from popular brands such as Selkie, House of CB, Shona Joy, Astr the Label, and For Love and Lemons. Sizes range from XS to 6X, and rentals can be secured at discounts of up to 80 percent.
Rax aims to tap into the growing trend of clothing rental, which has become increasingly popular among younger consumers, particularly Gen Z and millennials. The shift toward rental platforms has been further accelerated by the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, with companies like Nuuly reporting significant sales growth. Both Rent the Runway and Pickle have also experienced increased revenues as shoppers seek affordable, high-quality options for formalwear.
Marley Alles’ journey toward founding Rax was influenced by her own challenges in finding affordable outfits for events. She remarked, “All my friends are getting married, and I had a closet full of all of these expensive, really nice dresses.” Rather than selling her clothes outright through platforms like Poshmark, she found a better solution in the rental model, which allows users to keep their favorite pieces without the need to permanently part ways with them.
One notable aspect of peer-to-peer rental platforms is the ability for shoppers to view items modeled by real people. “We’re actually solving kind of another problem in the fashion industry, which is fit,” Alles stated, highlighting the benefit of seeing garments on individuals who have similar body types rather than on standard models.
Rax also promotes sustainability, offering consumers a way to stay trendy while reducing textile waste. Marley Alles shared her initial impulse-driven purchases, acknowledging, “I could have rented that on the app for $20!”
The Rax pop-up shop is located at unit 5-108 in Stackt Market and is open daily from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. The pop-up will run until April 6, providing an accessible and trendy shopping experience for those looking to rent rather than buy.
Source: Noah Wire Services
