Dive Brief:
- Nuuly, the Urban Outfitters Inc.-owned clothing rental service for women, is partnering with plus-size DTC brand Eloquii for an exclusive agreement launching Friday, according to a press release sent to sister publication Fashion Dive.
- There will be 25 styles available to rent initially, and sizes will range from 14 to 32. Product offerings will include workwear, casual dresses and occasion outfits, with the option to purchase after renting.
- Eloquii has experimented with rental strategies before, including its own Nuuly competitor Eloquii Unlimited and a previous partnership with Stitch Fix.
Dive Insight:
Eloquii, a popular plus-size brand with a loyal following, has had a tumultuous run since its launch in 2011. First released by The Limited in 2011, the brand was quietly shut down in 2013, then relaunched as a DTC line in 2014. It was sold to Walmart in 2018, and just last month, purchased by FullBeauty Brands.
Nuuly, which was founded in 2019, already has 150,000 subscribers, and earlier this year it reported its segment net sales had increased by $81.9 million for the year ended Jan. 31 due to a 149% increase year over year in its subscriber base.
The company already has expanded sizes in its rental mix, including Universal Standard, Selkie, Good American, Wray and Maison Amory, according to Kim Gallagher, executive director of marketing at Nuuly, who said in an email that all of those lines “have pieces that go up to size 40W/5X on Nuuly.”
In a release sent to Fashion Dive, Sky Pollard, Nuuly’s head of product, said the company was “committed to expanding fashion horizons for everybody.”
However, Gallagher said the company was currently limiting its offerings to women. “Nuuly does not have plans to expand to menswear at this time,” she said, echoing similar sentiments from elsewhere in the industry regarding plus-size men’s clothing.
There are more than 400 lines available in Nuuly’s stable, including Levi’s, Farm Rio, Madewell and Urban Outfitters Inc.’s Anthropologie, Free People and Urban Outfitters brands. The company also rents vintage pieces and items from emerging designers.
The Nuuly Rent service allows subscribers to rent six items for $98 per month. If a customer wants to buy something, prices typically range from $60-$800. Eloquii items range from $60-$160. The company said those prices may fluctuate over time depending on wear and condition.
Nuuly also offers a peer-to-peer resale site called Nuuly Thrift, which allows customers to buy and sell their own secondhand items.
Gallagher said the Nuuly rental and thrift brands may help reduce the waste of one-off purchases. “When needed, our rental garments are mended and stains are professionally treated to further extend their lifespan,” she says. “Nuuly always aims to exit out-of-circulation rental garments in ways that divert from landfills.”
The efforts to keep clothing out of landfills are both noble and necessary. Yet the clothing rental market is in a period of contraction. Rent the Runway laid off a quarter of its corporate employees last year, and Stitch Fix continues to struggle in its efforts to stay afloat. Meanwhile, Trunk Club, Nordstrom’s rental service, shut down completely last year.
