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Summary of our market study
The global clothing rental market is valued at $6.2 billion, with annual growth of 9.64%. The second-hand clothing market in France, a related sector, is also robust, with a valuation of 7 billion euros.
The French clothing rental market
Although in its infancy compared to its American counterpart, this market is showing promising signs of growth, thanks to changing consumer preferences from ownership to use. Some 18% of French people rented products during the year.
Rental platforms like Le Closet and Les Cachotiéres cater to different customer segments and product ranges, from inexpensive to luxury items.
The proportion of French consumers willing to rent clothes is 66%.
Clothing rental ranges from luxury to special occasions, from everyday wear to sportswear.
Women make the majority of these purchases, with the highest budgets observed in the 55-64 age bracket.
The second-hand clothing market is estimated at between 6 and 8 billion euros in France, and between 80 and 90 billion euros in Europe.
The main players in the clothing rental market
- Le Closet is the pioneer of unlimited rental with its monthly subscription plan.
- Une Robe pour 1 Soir focuses on luxury clothing and operates on a subscription basis.
- Possible is aimed at consumers concerned with the environment and ethical fashion.
- Bocage offers a shoe rental service.
- Baloum tackles the luxury accessories segment.
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Definition and presentation
The clothing rental, or garment sharing,market is a promising sector that is part of the advent of a circular economy, emphasizing the notion of use rather than private ownership. The market can be segmented by product type: luxury, special occasion, everyday or sportswear.
Worldwide, clothing rental is expected to grow strongly over the next decade, at an annual rate of 10.60%, a figure that could increase in the face of the climate emergency and consumers' growing awareness of the impact of their purchases. The growth niches are women's and children's fashion, and the target clientele lives in major urban centers.
Clothing rental is part of the second-hand market. The global second-hand fashion market is worth 34 billion euros, and is growing eight times faster than the regular fashion market. The French market for second-hand fashion and accessories totaled 7 billion euros, including 1.16 billion for textiles alone. Although garment rental is not as popular in France as second-hand, it is nevertheless booming and is likely to grow strongly over the next few years. In fact, clothing rental enables consumers to reduce their fashion budgets while adopting a more responsible approach to consumption. The market has developed significantly in the event and maternity wear segments , but is now diversifying into everyday wear.
In France, the market has a bright future ahead of it. Platforms such as Le Closet, Bocage and Une robe un soir invest in this segment. Ready-to-wear brands are also moving into clothing rental alongside their sales of new (or even second-hand) products. Brands such as Kiabi, Gemo, Maje and Ba&sh now offer clothing rental in some of their stores.
Clothing rental requires significant investment on the part of companies, since it's a business that involves considerable logistical, transport and inventory management costs. For this reason, many companies in the sector fail to break even, especially as garment rental is still a minority practice in France. In fact, in 2023, only 2% of people questioned in a Kantar Institute study said they had already rented a garment, and 1% said they had taken out a garment rental subscription.
1.2 The global clothing rental market
The clothing rental market is estimated to be worth US$*.* billion by ****. The United States has the largest market share. [***]
In the pre-pandemic period, the clothing rental market enjoyed impressive growth, fueled mainly by ever-increasing environmental awareness and a desire of regulated consumption, as well as the rise and spread of ...
1.3 The French clothing rental market
The clothing rental market is a segment of the second-hand market.
A phenomenon that originated in the United States, clothing rental has only been exported to France for a few years. A revolution in usage that is transforming the way we consume, but still a niche market in France.
We don't ...
1.4 Confinement has accelerated the acceptance of rental as a way of consuming clothes
The confinement was conducive to tidying, sorting and becoming aware of clothes already owned. According to a Yougov survey carried out for eBay:
**% of French people took advantage of the lockdown to sort out their unused items, and almost half of those surveyed said they wanted to resell their items ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 Demand and its determinants
According to a study carried out by the Kantar institute in ****, only *% of French people said they had already tried clothing rental and *% had already subscribed to a rental platform. On the other hand, **% of those questioned said they were interested in this mode of consumption. But many specialists in the ...
2.2 Ready-to-wear demand: characteristics and determinants
To better understand the demand for rental clothing, we need to look at the demand for ready-to-wear clothing, in order to draw up a profile of rental users.
Who's buying?
In ****, the average budget per woman fell by *%, from *** to *** euros, which is indicative of the deconsumerization of ready-to-wear that will ...
2.3 Men's ready-to-wear demand: characteristics and determinants
Specific characteristics of male customers: utilitarian and prepared purchases
**% of men said they had already made a second-hand purchase in ****, a lower figure than for women (***), they are more likely to shop online. Thus, **% of men buy clothes online at least once a month, compared with **% of women. [***]
According to ...
2.4 Millennials, a generation that consumes fashion differently
Second-hand for Gen Z
The second-hand market is particularly buoyed by younger consumers, notably Generation Z, whose purchasing decisions today are motivated by resale, in various forms. More than half of Gen Zers now prefer brands offering second-hand items in addition to new products (***), and **% are less inclined to buy a ...
2.5 The impact of inflation and CSR
Inflation
**% of women say they have shopped regularly in a store where clothing collections are plentiful, inexpensive and frequently renewed (***). [***]
In France, it would appear that women have an average of ** garments in their wardrobe, but use only two-thirds of them, according to a recent report. This finding shows that ...
3 Market structure
3.1 The forces at work
There are two distinct types of player in this market: brands that try their hand at rental, and platforms or sites that specialize in clothing rental, whether or not from one individual to another. Below is a non-exhaustive classification of the main players in the French clothing rental market:
3.2 Ready-to-wear brands enter the market
Ready-to-wear brands invest in the sector out of a concern for CSR
Among the strategic themes considered important by companies in the sector, social and environmental commitment ranks first, with all professionals surveyed considering it to be a crucial market issue. In ****, *% of the companies surveyed by the Kantar Institute said ...
3.3 The rise of rental platforms
The economy is becoming "platformized", and clothing rental is one market affected by this trend:
While the global second-hand market is expected to reach $** billion by **** and overtake that of fast fashion, platforms based on the sharing economy have managed to pull their weight by encouraging alternative modes of consumption: rental ...
3.4 The challenge of achieving profitability
One of France's first clothing rental sites, L'Habibliothèque, launched in ****, went into receivership in ****. Similarly, the Les Cachotières site announced it was ceasing operations two months ago. Specializing since **** in the rental of eveningwear between individuals, Les Cachotières had diversified its offering by launching "Les Cachotières For ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1. Offer typology
Rental platforms have an offer that can be segmented in a number of ways.
By target
by gender: men or women by age: adult or child
By product
by function: everyday wear, special occasion wear, maternity wear, ski wear by type: dress, shoes, accessories, tops by range: affordable, high-end, luxury
4.2 Clothing rental covers all ranges
Low-end ready-to-wear
Kiabi is now offering to rent clothes instead of buying them.
For * items rented, the customer pays ** euros per month, for **, the amount rises to ** euros, for ** items, ** euros, and finally the price peaks at ** euros for ** rented products. All in-store sectors (***) are covered
Daily rental
In ****, Le Closet ...
4.3 Subscription a popular payment method for clothing rental
The subscription-based business model enables players to secure recurring revenues: this keeps the company running smoothly, while allowing them to work on building up their stock.
The principle closely resembles other subscription offers from other sectors. In exchange for a monthly financial contribution, subscribers can refine their profile to target their ...
5 Regulations
5.1 Regulations
The law on the fight against waste and the circular economy
Law no. ****-*** of February ** introduced or reinforced several rules relating to waste and the circular economy. Summarized in a study by the French Federation of Women's Ready-to-Wear, the main measures concerning ready-to-wear are as follows:
Ban on the destruction ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Market segmentation
- Ba&sh
- SMCP Groupe (Maje)
- Ralph Lauren
- Le Closet
- Rent The Runway
- La Fashion Lib
- My Golden Closet
- Get Prête
- Renaisa
- Rent Club Paris
- Bocage
- Possible
- Patatam - Rediv
- Ree-See
- PVH
List of charts presented in this market study
- The clothing rental market
- Trend in online clothing rental sales
- Sales trends in personal and household goods rental
- Evolution of the systematic weekly telework rate
- Poll: Why would you consider renting clothes?
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Latest news
Ralph Lauren, the last of the Mohicans of American fashion - 05/07/2024
- Ralph Lauren is the Official Supplier of the United States Olympic and Paralympic athletes for the ninth consecutive time.
- - The brand became famous for its polo shirts.
- - Ralph Lauren sales approach $6.7 billion.
Liquidation of second-hand specialist Rediv (ex-Patatam) - 05/02/2024
- Rediv (formerly Patatam) was created in 2013.
- In receivership since November 2023, Rediv was placed in liquidation in January.
- The company's liquidation entails the loss of 120 jobs.
- Rediv had raised 12 million euros in funding in 2022.
- at that time, Rediv had achieved sales of just 2.5 million euros, well short of its target of 15 million euros.
Ralph Lauren and luxury. - 05/05/2023
- The Ralph Lauren Group is targeting sales of $8 billion in 2023, $2 billion more than the previous year.
- Prices for Ralph Lauren products have risen by an average of 64% since 2017.
- Online sales now account for a quarter of the brand's sales.
- Ralph Lauren has 504 stores, including 289 in North America.
- Direct sales account for 63% of Ralph Lauren's sales.
- Ralph Lauren plans to open 250 stores by 2025, mainly in Europe and China.
- Ambition is to be the world's leading luxury lifestyle company
Fashion: Maje chooses a new general manager - 23/03/2023
- - SMCP sales in 2022: 1.2 billion euros
- - Maje sales in 2022: 467 million euros
- - SMCP annual growth in 2022: 16.1
- - Maje annual growth in 2022: 14.8
- - Year of SMCP IPO: 2017
Patatam raises 12 million euros - 24/06/2022
- Patatam changes its name to Rediv and raises €12 million
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The clothing rental market | France
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