Burberry launches into rental and second-hand | RetailDetail

Burberry items at a lower price? This is possible thanks to a new partnership with My Wardrobe HQ, a British specialist in the rental and sale of second-hand luxury clothing. Burberry wants to become a more accessible and sustainable brand.

Second-hand at premium prices

Fashion lovers can now rent or buy second-hand Burberry clothing: the British tartan brand is teaming up with My Wardrobe HQ, a clothing rental specialist of luxury brands. My Wardrobe HQ also sells used items.

Consumers can rent apparel and accessories for four, seven, ten, or fourteen days, after which they have the option of purchasing the item and returning it. Note that about half of them ultimately decide to keep the item, says My Wardrobe HQ. The rental varies between 41 and 170 pounds per week (about 50 to 200 euros). It's not cheap, but you should know that a traditional Burberry trench coat can cost up to 2,000 euros.

Rentals are currently only available in the UK, but consumers in the rest of Europe can already order second-hand items. Unlike consumer platforms like Vinted, most of the clothes come directly from Burberry. If some of the pieces come from " VIP " customers and My Wardrobe HQ buyers, their authenticity and condition are subject to additional verification. Bargain prices range from £111 for accessories to £750 for famous trench coats.

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Towards a circular economy

“Our partnership with My Wardrobe HQ is complementary to our broader strategy to have a positive climate impact by 2040 by adapting the principles of a circular economy to luxury,” said Pam Batty, Vice President Corporate Responsibility at Burberry. Burberry had previously partnered with second-hand clothing platform The Realreal in 2019, but the brand had always ruled out clothing rentals as risky until now: luxury houses generally wanted to avoid compromising their exclusive image.

Today, however, they are beginning to realize that it would be in their interest to get into this activity: the second-hand market could double in size in the next four years and record growth eleven times faster than the ordinary retail. However, the risk of counterfeiting or brand damage is greater if luxury houses leave the field open to consumers and other platforms than if they ensure the selection of items themselves.

With image in mind

My Wardrobe HQ hired a professional fashion photographer for the Burberry campaign. So much so that according to Vogue Business, the presentation looks more like luxury marketing than second-hand sales. You should also know that forty percent of the profits made on each Burberry transaction will be donated to Smart Works, a British charity that provides clothing and coaching to disadvantaged unemployed women to enable them to apply for jobs.

Second-hand or renting are also effective techniques for attracting new customers, especially younger ones, who are not (yet) able to pay full price. Young people today are very sensitive to luxury fashion. Customers who rent clothes from My Wardrobe are on average between 25 and 35 years old, those who buy second-hand between 35 and 45 years old. The fact that luxury department store Harrods recently opened a pick-up and drop-off point for My Wardrobe HQ proves in any case that renting and second-hand is no longer a taboo in luxury.