the case for renting your wardrobe
By Sophia Soo
As office workers transition from a remote to an in-person work environment, some might find themselves unable to fit into their pre-pandemic workplace outfits. Others find themselves in a closet filled with cozy in-house clothing and lacking items appropriate for meetings and conferences. A study by the American Psychological Association (APA) found that 61% of Americans reported unwanted fluctuations in weight since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Clothing sales were expected to increase by 78% this summer, with sales guided by factors related to size changes and relaxed COVID restrictions; many workers updated their at-home staples for office attire. However, this win for the fashion industry, fueled by the rise in clothing sales and fast fashion, has downsides for the environment.
Everyday business garments are composed using toxic, plastic-based fabrics such as acrylic and nylon. Not only are these fabrics unsustainable, but they contribute to a phenomenon known as bracketing: when consumers purchase numerous clothes even though they know they will return the items later. This practice compounds the harmful environmental impact these materials have. Bracketing leads to increased carbon emissions due to the increased transportation and escalates the amount of non-biodegradable landfill waste. When washed, plastic-based materials release microplastics, and PERC - a chemical used to dry-clean office attire - negatively affects the environment. Moreover, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that a low amount of 15% of clothing gets recycled by consumers when they tire of the items in their closet, and donations to nonprofits such as Goodwill wind up in landfills, contributing to the global plastic waste issue.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, fashion styles have changed and resulted in workers re-evaluating their office wardrobes. Work attire brands such as M.M.LaFleur have transitioned to “power casual” styles, which are less intense than business casual outfits.
Alternatives to buying into fast fashion when rebuilding a work wardrobe include online clothing rental services such as Rent the Runway and Nuuly, or online retailers such as thredUp, Depop and for a luxury consignment option, TheRealReal. These sites are easy to use, with search filters by brand, size, color, styles, and many more options for clothes at a lesser cost to your wallet and the environment. These companies allow people to switch up their wardrobes with more sustainable alternatives with a reduced environmental footprint. Clothing rental services enable consumers to rotate and supplement staples in their closets after selecting a plan that specifies how many items per month they want to borrow. Consumers can return these clothes later on and switch out for new styles cleaned by the rental service.
As weight changes played a role in increasing clothing sales, consumers may turn to programs such as FIT LIBERTY at Universal Standard. This program takes away consumer anxieties about weight fluctuations; it allows consumers to purchase items that fit at the moment and exchange them up to a year later without cost if consumers need to size up or down. Returned items do not go to waste, as they are donated to the nonprofit organizations Dress for Success and First Step.
During this transition back to the office, the boundaries between what office workers prefer to wear and what employers observe as appropriate workplace attire are blurring. Reconstructing an office wardrobe to reflect the more relaxed dress codes is more akin to a guessing game. This confusion is where online rental services come in and help navigate the redefined workwear limits without requiring a commitment to a specific style or clothing item.
Everyday business garments are composed using toxic, plastic-based fabrics such as acrylic and nylon. Not only are these fabrics unsustainable, but they contribute to a phenomenon known as bracketing: when consumers purchase numerous clothes even though they know they will return the items later. This practice compounds the harmful environmental impact these materials have. Bracketing leads to increased carbon emissions due to the increased transportation and escalates the amount of non-biodegradable landfill waste. When washed, plastic-based materials release microplastics, and PERC - a chemical used to dry-clean office attire - negatively affects the environment. Moreover, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that a low amount of 15% of clothing gets recycled by consumers when they tire of the items in their closet, and donations to nonprofits such as Goodwill wind up in landfills, contributing to the global plastic waste issue.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, fashion styles have changed and resulted in workers re-evaluating their office wardrobes. Work attire brands such as M.M.LaFleur have transitioned to “power casual” styles, which are less intense than business casual outfits.
Alternatives to buying into fast fashion when rebuilding a work wardrobe include online clothing rental services such as Rent the Runway and Nuuly, or online retailers such as thredUp, Depop and for a luxury consignment option, TheRealReal. These sites are easy to use, with search filters by brand, size, color, styles, and many more options for clothes at a lesser cost to your wallet and the environment. These companies allow people to switch up their wardrobes with more sustainable alternatives with a reduced environmental footprint. Clothing rental services enable consumers to rotate and supplement staples in their closets after selecting a plan that specifies how many items per month they want to borrow. Consumers can return these clothes later on and switch out for new styles cleaned by the rental service.
As weight changes played a role in increasing clothing sales, consumers may turn to programs such as FIT LIBERTY at Universal Standard. This program takes away consumer anxieties about weight fluctuations; it allows consumers to purchase items that fit at the moment and exchange them up to a year later without cost if consumers need to size up or down. Returned items do not go to waste, as they are donated to the nonprofit organizations Dress for Success and First Step.
During this transition back to the office, the boundaries between what office workers prefer to wear and what employers observe as appropriate workplace attire are blurring. Reconstructing an office wardrobe to reflect the more relaxed dress codes is more akin to a guessing game. This confusion is where online rental services come in and help navigate the redefined workwear limits without requiring a commitment to a specific style or clothing item.