Here’s Why Rent The Runway & Amazon’s Partnership Makes Sense

Rent the Runway will begin selling it’s pre-worn (and new, unworn) designs on Amazon.

Some have said this flags for a few reasons: First, is Rent the Runway (RTR) really contributing to environmental sustainability if it just goes and sells its products through Amazon? Second from a strategic business sustainability perspective (so not ecological sustainability) but the sustainability of the business: How sustainable is RTR’s model if they have this much leftover inventory that they can afford to fulfill Amazon orders?

I see these points but I still think it’s a great move for Amazon and RTR for a couple of reasons. So first of all, “Amazon Dupes” is a major trend on TikTok and elsewhere. Which means that one of the things that Amazon is known for as a brand is that if there is some luxury fashion item that you're not going to buy from the retail or the luxury store itself, you're gonna go to Amazon and look for a duplicate. Meaning: if I'm not going to buy a Badgley Mischka ballgown from Badgley Mischka or if I'm not going to buy Dior, I'm not even going to buy Parker direct from the designer and I'm going to be going to Amazon looking for a dupe anyway—instead of a dupe, now I can just have a pre-rented version of that exact dress.

This is a perfect brand fit with Amazon's audience.

Now for RTR, one of the obstacles that I've seen from Rent the Runway that its brand awareness is limited to the women who actually use it. (Full disclosure, I have a monthly subscription to Rent the Runway.)

One of the things for me that's really appealing about Rent the Runway—as a consumer—is that pre-social media, if you had a dress that looked great every time that you wore it as a guest of a wedding, or speaking at an event, for the most part, you could go from weddings, to wedding to wedding; and as long as there were different groups of people, no one would know that you're wearing the same dress.

Well now that all the pictures are going to be on Facebook and Instagram and Tiktok, everyone will have seen you in that dress. So the thing is, it might not be as economical to buy one gorgeous guest-of-a-wedding dress, and it might make more sense to rent for a variety of events, whether that's personal, whether that's professional, whether that's business, whether you're traveling and you just want something for a week we are going to a totally different climate.

So what's going to happen basically is a two-way transfer of brand awareness and clientele. Meaning, Amazon will get more sales of women who want to wear high fashion without the pricetag, and those same women will become aware of RTR’s rental model and memberships.

It’s a smart branding moves from top to bottom.