Nestled between the business and cultural centre of Turin and ‘fair’ Verona of Romeo & Juliet Shakespearean fame, lies Italy’s fast-paced metropolis, Milan. A fashion capital of the world in its own right, due to the serious nature the Milanese take to dressing themselves every day, a sense of style and creativeness is necessary for living in Milan. Yet, college students struggle daily to keep up with this idea of being fashionable. Milan is the home of some of the most famous luxury fashion brands in the world. It is where Giorgio Armani founded his own company in 1975 with Sergio Galeotti after working as a designer in a menswear department. It is where Dolce & Gabbana first debuted their “Sicilian Widow” collection at Milan Fashion Week in 1985, Gianni Versace founded his outlandish glamourous empire in 1978 and of course, where Prada entrenched itself in 1913 and continued to grow to global design domination.
A high-end fashion wardrobe can seem out of reach. For most, the opportunity to travel and general living expenses can leave our pockets looking worse for wear (and we don’t mean in an on-trend Off-White sort of way) leaving no room for splurging at the boutiques that pepper the streets of Brera or Porta Venezia.
So, how can a college student still wear designer clothes in this glamorous city?
Thanks to the rise of the sharing economy and the sustainable fashion movement, online marketplaces like Rent the Runway and Le Tote enable anyone to rent the latest Yves Saint Laurent bag or Gucci dress for a fraction of the OTT price. So, if you have an elegant event coming up or you just want to look fire at aperitivo, keep reading to see our top 3 places to rent your next designer outfit in Milan.
#1 Dress You Can
Dress You Can (DYC) Founder & CEO, Caterina describes her business as “the combination of the advantages of the sharing economy, the practicality of pay-per-use and the principles of sustainability, anticipating the trend of evolution of ownership inefficient use”.
DYC offers a wide range of high fashion items by both emerging or established designers resulting in the continuous updating of their products. Simply by choosing the dress and size or accessories you like from the catalog, you can rent an outfit for a period of up to four days between approximately €59 and €159.
Advantages:
- DYC offers a ‘’Trial Now’ service. For an extra €20, you can have your outfit delivered and try it on before booking.
- If you order a long dress, you can tell them your shoulder-heel height and they will tailor the hem for you.
- At the end of the rental period, you can return the outfit without having to worry about getting it cleaned. The dry cleaning is included in their service.
- Don’t wear, don’t pay! If you don’t end up wearing your outfit, you can return it and receive a store credit.
DYC also has a Showroom located in the centre of Milan, via Gian Giacomo Mora, 1, 20123, Milan MI, (a small hop from the Duomo) where you can try any of the clothes that are in stock and take advantage of the advice and tailoring service by their experienced team. There is also the option of returning your rented outfits if you want to save on shipping costs (budgeting win!). The showroom is open Monday through Thursday with varying hours throughout the week.
#2 Front Row Tribe
Front Row Tribe (FRT) was founded by two friends who were savvy shoppers and wanted to provide their skills to the rest of the world, and it was cited by Forbes as a startup that is changing the world of Italian fashion. During an interview with Snap Italy magazine, FRT founders Gabriela Pancini and Olimpia Pitacco explain that through their work they value being careful not to ‘devalue’ designer creations by making haute couture garments accessible to the masses by offering customers the opportunity to experience luxury but also educate them on the role that fast fashion plays in the extreme consumerism that is changing our planet.
“We are trying to change the mechanisms [of fast fashion] to less production, less waste, less exploitation. All this in exchange for clothes with better quality, at affordable prices.” — Gabriela Pancini
Front Row Tribe does not have a showroom available, but their online catalog provides plenty of outfits that you can reserve up to six months in advance after registering with your email and personal details. There are filter options by color, style, designer and more which make it easy to find the best look for you. When you receive your outfit in the mail, a pre-paid label is included so that once your event is over you can simply pop the garment back in the bag and then into your nearest post office.
#3 Drexcode
Drexcode was found in 2014 on the initiative of giving access to high-fashion clothes to women in need. The two young entrepreneurs, Federica Storace and Valeria Cambrea, created a web-boutique that provides accessible rentals from prominent and high-fashion designers. The boutiques offer dresses popular in seasons and trends with reputable Italian and foreign designers.
“Drexcode is a far-sighted and ambitious blend of the Italian experience in the field of fashion and the innovation of an American model. I believe that the access to the fashion in Europe is close to a rapid evolution and Drexcode is well-positioned to be among the top players which will seize this opportunity”, said Enrico Mambelli President of Drexcode
The type of occasion Drexcode is best for is galas, cocktail parties, weddings, and evening events with the ability to rent the dress for four or eight days. The website offers a unique refining system that allows you to search through the catalog using filters such as type of designer, size, color, dress, and occasion; and also a stylist who can be contacted for personal advice. If you are encaptured by the dress, you simply contact management or go online to their website and purchase the dress.
Drexcode does have a location, which is via Statuto, 16, 20121 Milan, where you can walk in and see the in-store selection. The showroom is open Monday through Saturday from 10 am until 7 pm. There is not a wide selection of casual dresses or clothes to try on because the showroom is mostly used for weddings.
“…Drexcode is a great opportunity to capture a female target, who thanks to the rental formula, choose to wear new labels of which often falls in love thus becoming a customer”, added Valeria Cambrea co-founder and sales manager
In a large metropolitan city, it can get expensive to live and having to keep up with the ever-evolving fashion style can become even more expensive. Dressyoucan, Front Row Tribe, and Drexcode have made way for people to dress high-class on a budget.
