Sustainable glam: How clothing rentals are redefining fashion

JOHANNESBURG - Whether it is a cost-cutting measure or opting for the environmentally friendly alternative, clothing rental has become more popular over the years.

Something Borrowed, a destination for renting clothes that offers a selection of designer gowns for every occasion is one of the stores that has taken advantage of this new trend.

Eyewitness News spoke to Alexandra Beazley, a 31-year-old content producer and the developer of Something Borrowed on her experience with clothing rental services.

EWN: How did the idea to rent out clothing come about?

Beazley: As a content creator, I was really struggling to find cute dresses or event wear in my size, especially after my body changed due to some personal matters. At the time, there was only one well-known rental platform in Cape Town, but they didn’t seem to cater much to fuller bodies.

Being a Joburg girl myself, I also noticed a serious lack of options here. That’s when I realised there was a real gap in the market. Around the same time, I saw rental platforms booming in places like Australia and the UK and thought, this will definitely catch on here too.

EWN: What are the pros of renting rather than buying an outfit for an occasion?

Beazley: The biggest advantage of renting is sustainability. Globally, about 92 million tonnes of textile waste is produced every year. That’s equivalent to a garbage truck full of clothes being dumped every second which is terrifying. We're helping to reduce that impact by sharing the cost, materials, and CO₂ emissions across many renters.

Another big plus is saving money while getting access to a wider variety of styles, including dresses that might normally be out of budget or hard to ship to South Africa. Renting allows you to experiment with trends and colours, enjoy fashion more freely, and avoid that “dusty closet” guilt.

EWN: What should one look out for when renting a dress?

Beazley: My advice when renting? Pay attention to where you’re renting from. For example, I wouldn’t rent a mass-produced, low-quality dress for the same price it originally cost to buy. Unfortunately, some rental services do exactly that, charging premium prices for cheaply made garments that are easier to damage, leaving renters at risk of having to replace them.

Make sure the platform has a reputable website and active social media presence, ideally with real tagged photos from past clients—not just influencers. And please, always read and understand the terms and conditions before you rent.

EWN: Where do you source your outfits from?

Beazley: As for where we get most of our dresses, funny enough, our very first pieces came from Yaga, a local pre-loved fashion platform! Many of our dresses are from Australia (their designers are doing incredible work), and we’ve recently launched a consignment-style program where clients can list their own dresses with us. We rent them out on their behalf, and they earn a little extra “coffee money” in the process.

As part of her expansion plans, Beazley wants to open a larger physical space to accommodate more try-ons. She’s also exploring luxury accessory rentals and even day-to-day wardrobe subscriptions.