Rent The Runway bringing high fashion to Chicago

By

Obi Anyanwu

Published
Apr 7, 2015

On April 30th, women’s fashion rental service Rent The Runway will hold the grand opening of its Chicago location at 710 North Wabash Avenue in the Gold Coast neighborhood.
 
The 2,940 ft² location will carry a rotating inventory of women’s apparel and accessories from over 300 designers, including Diane von Furstenberg, Vera Wang, Marchesa Notte, and Cushnie et Ochs.

Two major features of the store include the fitting rooms equipped with iPad Minis and Selfie Mirrors. The iPads are placed for stylists to upload each dress customers try on to the Rent The Runway website, which the customers will then have access to. The Selfie Mirror is for customers to snap a photo of their reflection to send to their email.

Four-day apparel rentals range between $30 and $800 and are offered in sizes 0-22. Accessory rentals are $5 to $500. Customers can book an appointment with a stylist who will create full outfits or provide one-on-one consultation for a fee of $25.

Co-founded by Harvard Business School graduates Jennifer Hyman, CEO, and Jennifer Fleiss, head of business development, the online concept was initially designed as a outlet for women to easily rent, wear and return high-fashion garments that they otherwise might not be able to purchase for use on only a handful of occasions.

$1 = £0.67