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Screenshot: Designer Wardrobe. Additional design: Tina Tiller.
Screenshot: Designer Wardrobe. Additional design: Tina Tiller.

BusinessFebruary 1, 2022

What New Zealand designers really think about Designer Wardrobe

Screenshot: Designer Wardrobe. Additional design: Tina Tiller.
Screenshot: Designer Wardrobe. Additional design: Tina Tiller.

Renting is the hottest trend in fashion, promising access to designer garments without the high price tag. For designers, platforms like Designer Wardrobe offer a chance to boost both branding and sales – and labels like what they see.

The closest I’ve come to renting clothes was a suit for my school ball during my final year at Whanganui High School. I didn’t baulk at the suggestion that I rent instead of buy – the thought of my parents forking out hundreds of dollars on a suit, shirt and tie that I probably would never wear again made a trip to Hallensteins a lot less appealing. Even though, unlike girls and women, males aren’t pressured to find a new outfit for every new event or special occasion, the options available to rent still proved you could win best dressed at your school ball in an outfit that wasn’t yours.

Fast-forward over a decade, and renting has become an increasingly popular way to consume fashion – and local platforms like Designer Wardrobe are taking advantage of the hype. Founded on Facebook by Donielle Brooke in 2012, the company began as a place for her to sell her own designer clothes to pay rent when she fell seriously ill with cancer. Later, she turned to friend Aidan Bartlett to help transform it into an e-commerce startup. With the help of a business accelerator programme in 2015 and investors’ money, Designer Wardrobe grew into a company with over 200,000 members and 4,000 garments available for rent, an online marketplace where individuals can buy and sell pre-loved clothes worth a combined $60 million each year, and a retail presence in Australia. The business relied on a younger, social-media-crazed customer base at the start, but Bartlett, now Designer Wardrobe’s chief executive, says their customers’ average age has risen in the last six years, as fashion fans become more used to the idea of renting. 

New Zealanders might be hard-pressed to find events to attend at the moment – a raft of omicron-prompted cancellations has hit the events sector, and even the prime minister has been forced to postpone her wedding in Gisborne this summer – but fashion labels are still seeing customers “desperate” to feel joy through clothes, says local fashion designer Juliette Hogan.

“A couple of years ago, you wouldn’t contemplate what you’d wear to [Auckland bakery chain] Daily Bread to pick up fresh bread on the weekend,” she notes. During the pandemic, though, “it became such a treat for me and my social outings, and therefore, I was going to make that outfit count.”

A dress by Juliette Hogan on Designer Wardrobe’s website. (Photo: Supplied)

Hogan’s namesake brand closed its bridal arm at the start of the first Covid-19 outbreak, but women losing access to its “amazingly designed, beautiful clothes” wasn’t an option, she says. The label hooked up with Designer Wardrobe, and a partnership was born. Juliette Hogan offers its bridal collection exclusively for rent through the company’s website, alongside stock from its main collection’s previous seasons. The label retains ownership and takes a share of the renting revenue.

Why is renting taking off right now? There’s the obvious appeal – rental platforms plug the gap between owning clothes and borrowing from friends – but renting also fits the interests of a new kind of consumer. It’s a business model that speaks to young consumers who are conscious of their image – and also concerned about retail fashion’s massive impact on the environment

The industry may still be something of an unknown quantity in New Zealand – most platforms have only been around for five or six years – but it’s booming in the US and UK. It’s a legitimate way to consume fashion there, so much so that investors since October 2021 have been able to trade shares in Rent the Runway, a US company that pioneered the belief that money could be made from people sharing their closets like they do their houses or their vehicles. The sector is not without its issues, particularly over the green credentials claimed by some companies; from shipping to dry-cleaning, there are questions about how environmentally detrimental rental fashion is. But it’s a valuable line of business for the global fashion industry – renting’s value pre-pandemic was about $2 billion and is expected to exceed $3.2 billion by 2025. 

New Zealand designers are catching on. Hogan says Designer Wardrobe gives the brand access to customers it wouldn’t normally see shopping in its stores, and the chance to establish a relationship that may evolve into full-fledged custom one day. On the flip side, the label decided that Designer Wardrobe wouldn’t have access to current, in-season pieces, so that customers who purchase at full price don’t feel undercut by renting’s target market.

The partnership contributes to the brand’s annual turnover but it’s a small percentage of revenue, says Hogan. The more important aspects to the arrangement include marketing, branding and ensuring well-made garments aren’t left to waste away in closets.

For Emily Miller-Sharma, general manager of Ruby – one of the rental company’s partners since its early years – it’s a no-brainer. “People out there want to rent, [Designer Wardrobe has] worked really hard to develop a platform so people can rent, we have clothes and we believe in renting, so it’s not a huge question mark.”

Renting is part of Ruby’s efforts to figure out how alternative revenue streams can eventually replace the production and sale of new clothes as the bulk of its income. It’s profitable, says Miller-Sharma, although it makes up a tiny portion of the label’s bottom line. “Regardless, it’s important that we do it so it’s just understanding, from our end, what works the best and just being smart about what we put up for rent.”

Like many of her peers, Miller-Sharma, who helped found clothing and textiles collective Mindful Fashion NZ, an advocacy group working toward a more circular industry, is clued up on issues around sustainability in the fashion business. Natural-fibre clothes don’t withstand the amount of dry-cleaning that renting demands as well as garments made from synthetic fibres, like nylon or polyester. That raises more issues, including whether synthetic-fibre fabrics are manufactured responsibly, she says. “You have to consider a lot of things.”

Fashion labels like Ruby have partnered up with Designer Wardrobe, allowing it access to older season stock for renting. (Photo: Supplied)

For Kristine Crabb, the designer behind much-loved brand Miss Crabb, which closed its retail business in 2019, renting is a trickier proposition; she says she remains undecided about it.

Miss Crabb was one of Designer Wardrobe’s early designer partners, and the platform later approached the brand for a more targetted partnership. Crabb says she didn’t pursue the opportunity, deciding it would involve too much work for the income and future sales generated. The rental company continued buying Miss Crabb stock in any event.

Crabb could see the benefits of renting. “[Our] most powerful marketing was by word of mouth so the more people were out wearing our stuff, talking about it, loving it, it increased our brand awareness and sales long-term,” she says. But staff also felt renting was “cannibalising” sales in the short-term. “We found that we had a lot of renting customers come into our store and try on all the things and get all the customer service, only to rent it.” Still, those kinds of shoppers would eventually become loyalists, the brand believed. “We wanted to know that, when the time came, they would feel welcome and want to buy their own piece.”

In early 2021 Crabb returned with new label Gloria, and she’s contemplated doing her own version of renting the garments she creates under that label. But again, finding the time to run a rental scheme and reconciling it with her desire to sell beautiful clothes that people treasure has made her reluctant to take the plunge. “[Fashion] is not a cheap thing. It’s not a throwaway thing either…I want it to become a part of your life.”

Brand hesitancy is understandable, says Bartlett, Designer Wardrobe’s CEO. “For brands that aren’t quite ready, we respect that. Often they’ve come back after they’ve learned a bit more and we go from there.”

Separate to the peer-to-peer marketplace, brands participate in the Designer Wardrobe platform through rental consignments (like Juliette Hogan) or through the more traditional route of wholesale (like Miss Crabb). Going consignment is a “no-touch” policy for brands, meaning they can enjoy the benefits of the sharing economy without having to deal with the logistics. The revenue generated and shared is recurring, which has typically ended up being significantly more per item over time than if it was sold upfront, says Bartlett.

Nobody wants to buy an expensive, statement-making piece for an event only for another person to have rented it for a fifth of its retail price, and yet rental platforms have made a business out of lending out those very garments. But co-founder Brooke emphasises that she started the company to help shift the perception of second-hand designer garments. “It’s about being conscious of, when you are going to shop, ‘is that going to be a one-off wear? And if so, should I rent? And if not, should I buy?’”

Hogan, for one, remains a fan. She says entering the rental market “hasn’t been detrimental at all on our business model”. It seems designers, and consumers, are doubling down on fashion’s latest trend.

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Five of the Kiwibank Local Hero of the Year semi-finalists (Images: Supplied; additional design: Tina Tiller)
Five of the Kiwibank Local Hero of the Year semi-finalists (Images: Supplied; additional design: Tina Tiller)

BusinessJanuary 26, 2022

Meet the local heroes at the heart of Aotearoa’s communities

Five of the Kiwibank Local Hero of the Year semi-finalists (Images: Supplied; additional design: Tina Tiller)
Five of the Kiwibank Local Hero of the Year semi-finalists (Images: Supplied; additional design: Tina Tiller)

The Kiwibank Local Hero of the Year is due to be announced at the end of March. Now, the judges have the hard task of selecting from the pool of individuals creating positive change in their communities. 

The Kiwibank Local Hero of the Year, Te Pou Toko o te Tau, award was established to recognise those putting in the hard yards for their communities and taking extraordinary action to make Aotearoa a better place. These are the people that unite us through their tireless work for others. Individually, they are the people having meaningful impact in their respective communities. Collectively, these outstanding individuals remind us of the true spirit of New Zealand, and reflect the mana of this prestigious award.

These local heroes are the students fighting for equality, the former addicts fighting for sobriety and the mums feeding the kids. 

The awards tautoko the mahi that has kept communities afloat and full of hope during an unprecedented and difficult time in Aotearoa. They are a celebration of the people who keep the lights on, whether in the school hall or the wharekai.

This year’s nominees showcase the richness and breadth of the pockets of selfless community campaigners across Aotearoa. They advocate for food rescue, an end to domestic violence and child poverty, and the economic revival of some of the most marginalised communities in the country. During a tough couple of years for Aotearoa, they have connected people, given them a purpose, and given them hope at a time when those values were in short supply.

Hundreds of amazing individuals were nominated from across the country. From that group the top 100 were recognised as local hero medallists for their contributions. Now, 10 semi finalists have been selected from that group.

The 2021 semi finalists are:

Alice Mander (Wellington)

Alice Mander (Image: Supplied)

As tertiary institutions moved online during the Covid-19 pandemic, law student and activist Alice Mander wondered why remote learning had taken so long. Living with muscular dystrophy, she advocates for accessibility and an end to ableism across Aotearoa’s tertiary institutions. Founder and president of the National Disabled Students’ Association, a national representative body for disabled students, Mander writes with a sharp wit and powerful voice across publications including The Spinoff and Victoria University of Wellington’s Salient magazine on the issues and disparities facing the disabled student community. Following Mander’s campaigning, VUW instituted a pastoral care code for students in 2021. 

Brendon Warne (Auckland)

Brendon Warne (Image: Supplied)

From addiction to activism, Anti-P Ministry founder Brendon Warne’s journey has inspired thousands of former drug users to free themselves from the vice grip of substance abuse. Warne (Ngāi Tahu) founded the ministry to bring people together to share their experiences with addiction, creating a community of almost 7,000 members and a network of walk-in clinics, online support groups and even an app to support recovery. Following increasing demand for face-to-face support, the Anti-P Ministry crowdfunded a mobile clinic and hit the road, supporting whānau one stop – and step – at a time. 

Caroline Herewini MNZM (Porirua)

Caroline Herewini (Image: Supplied)

Caroline Herewini MNZM (Ngāti Kahungunu/Ngāi Tuhoe) is a human rights advocate who works to end all forms of violence against women and children. Kaiwhakahaere of Te Whare Tiaki Wāhine Refuge Charitable Trust for more than two decades, Herewini is a founding member of the Everywoman Treaty Global Coalition and the International Network to End Violence Against Women and Girls. Her advocacy is underpinned by te Tiriti o Waitangi, bringing an indigenous approach to refuge services and providing spaces grounded in aroha and manaakitanga for the victims of domestic violence. Herewini has been a keynote speaker at international conferences from Mexico to the Hague, and remains based in the field in Porirua. 

Dame Areta Koopu DNZM (Auckland)

Dame Areta Koopu (Image: Supplied)

Dame Areta Koopu (Te Aitanga a Hauiti, Ngāti Konohi & Ngāti Kahu) is a former Māori Women’s Welfare League President, Human Rights Commissioner, Waitangi Tribunal member, and mother and grandmother. A veteran social worker and activist, her work in establishing kohanga reo and promoting te reo Māori in schools is esteemed throughout Aotearoa. Koopu has also campaigned for women’s rights and access to health care, particularly cervical cancer screening. A member of the Māori Women’s Development committee, Koopu advocates for Māori women in business, financing and empowering their organisations. Now an octogenarian, Koopu continues to work for the welfare of tangata Māori across Aotearoa. 

Dave Letele (Henderson)

Dave Letele (Image: File)

After losing almost 100kg in a journey to save his own life, Dave Letele (Ngāti Maniapoto) founded the not-for-profit Brown Buttabean Motivation programme in Manukau to change the lives of Māori and Pasifika facing obesity. Today, BBM is a community of thousands of whānau with access to free weight-loss plans, foodbanks, community kitchens and gyms across Auckland. Letele, a former professional boxer, is a community leader, motivational speaker and social media star. 

Deborah Manning (Auckland)

Deborah Manning (Image: Supplied)

In just 10 years, Deborah Manning’s KiwiHarvest has rescued almost seven million kilograms of edible nutritious food destined for the landfill, redistributing it to whānau in need across Aotearoa and preventing 17.5 million kilograms of landfill-based carbon equivalent emissions. A former lawyer turned social entrepreneur, Manning founded the New Zealand Food Network in 2020 to enhance the storage facilities and nationwide infrastructure used by organisations like KiwiHarvest, connecting those with food to donate to those who need it. Together with KiwiHarvest, the NZFN has since redistributed almost four million kilograms of food to iwi, food banks and food rescues countrywide, providing more than 28 million meals since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Matt Dagger (Wellington)

Matt Dagger (Image: Supplied)

Founder of Kaibosh, New Zealand’s first food rescue agency, Matt Dagger has led food rescue efforts for more than a decade, raising awareness of food waste and fighting food insecurity. Dagger, chair of the Aotearoa Food Rescue Alliance, manages a team of more than 250 volunteers across Wellington and liaises with 25 food rescue charities across Aotearoa to eliminate food waste and poverty. 

Panapa Te Wheru Ehau (Gisborne)

Panapa Ehau (Image: Supplied)

Panapa Te Wheru Ehau (Ngāti Uepohatu/Ngāti Porou) is the co-founder and director of social enterprise Hikurangi Enterprises and pharmaceutical cannabis firm Rua Bioscience. A father of four from Ruatōria, Ehau champions projects that increase the wellbeing of whānau and whenua in the Waiapu Valley and Te Tairawhiti, some of the most marginalised communities in Aotearoa. Ehau is co-founder of Te Mahere Whakauka/The Hope Project, a nationwide network of 40 Māori-led enterprises creating jobs, campaigning for food security for tangata whenua, reestablishing indigenous ngahere and establishing papakāinga.

Sian Neary (Auckland)

Sian Neary (Image: Supplied)

In 2020, the Graeme Dingle Foundation celebrated its 25th year of empowering rangatahi through school-based programmes that build self-confidence via outdoor learning and mentorship. But as Covid spread throughout the country, and tamariki stayed home, the foundation was faced with the challenge of moving their programmes online. And so, as Aotearoa went into lockdown, general manager Sian Neary took the foundation’s approach online, partnering with TVNZ and the Ministry of Education to produce the Tamariki Talks series on Papa Kāinga TV. Aiming to connect tamariki with a learning curriculum at home, Tamariki Talks featured lessons around perseverance, self-discipline and problem solving. 

Te Warahi Kokowai Hetaraka (Whangārei)

Te Warahi Kokowai Hetaraka (Image: Supplied)

Tohunga whakairo Te Warihi Kokowai Hetaraka (Ngāti Wai/Ngā Puhi/Tainui) is a renowned teacher and mentor within Te Tai Tokerau. A cultural leader and artist, Hetaraka is the winner of the Outstanding Individual Contribution to the Arts award and the Creative New Zealand Kingi Ihaka award. A respected expert in whakairo, kapa haka, maramataka and te reo Māori, Herataka spent much of 2021 revitalising Ngāti Wai’s Wai 262 te Tiriti o Waitangi claim. Pou Whakahaere at Te Puni Kōkiri, Herataka’s lifework is sharing matauranga Māori with tamariki and taitamariki. 

Now the panel of judges have the difficult task of distilling the 10 semi finalists down to the three finalists announced in mid February. The winner will be announced at the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards on 31st March.


Made in partnership with Kiwibank, When the Facts Change is Bernard Hickey’s essential weekly guide to the intersection of economics, politics and business. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast provider.

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