Something borrowed: The £410 dress, rented for £55

We’re in the midst of a thriving retail revolution right now. From swishing to swapping and second-hand shopping or *sound the klaxon* Fashion Rental, it’s never been easier to switch up our wardrobes, without always buying new.

The John Lewis Fashion Rental service now makes shopping for womenswear more affordable than ever, with a curated selection of clothing – from covetable designer brands to John Lewis’s most popular must-have collections – available to rent for up to 20 days. Commercial Director at John Lewis & Partners, Kathleen Mitchell, says: ‘It’s a truly unique proposition that can’t be found at any other high-street retailer. Fashion Rental introduces new and exciting designers to John Lewis customers, encouraging them to support a more sustainable way to shop.’

The route to rental is simple. A blessing for anyone who’s time-poor (aka, all of us), it’s as easy as:

1. Book – create an account, select an item and rental dates, then place your order. I opted for the O Pioneers Tania Dress. 

2. Wear – your order will arrive in a reusable garment bag with a returns label included.

3. Return – once the rental period is over, return the item using the label provided. It’s then professionally dry-cleaned, ready for the next rental.

But the best part? When selecting your dream outfit you can filter clothing by category, designer, colours, price, availability and size (UK2 to UK28). Fashion Rental has literally thought of everything to help make your browsing experience the best it can be. 

1. Fuss-free – Fashion Rental’s book, wear and return process is so smooth that it may ruin other rental experiences for you! Throw in the attention to detail (items arrive in smart, reusable garment bags and with easy-to-use return labels that go direct to the dry-cleaner’s) and the whole journey feels as fancy as you’d expect when dabbling in designer wear. But Fashion Rental also delivers fantastic customer service, offering speedy resolutions to any issues and a 24-hour ‘fit guarantee’ policy.

2. Guilt-free – Rental is one way to help solve the fast-fashion problem – it’s not the only answer, of course, but the more we can reshape our shopping habits into something circular, the better. Rental, re-sell and repair services are soaring for good reason – after all, they’re better for the planet and our purse strings. Sure, we could save up for the designer dress, but if it���s something you may only want in your wardrobe for a few days, why not rent it at a fraction of the cost?

3. Inclusive – John Lewis is a mass-market brand and a trusted household name. So, with rental, it makes sense to offer both designer and mid-premium brands accessible to all, for less – while also raising the profile of rental shopping itself. Conscious fashion advocate Jasmine Hemsley puts it wonderfully: ‘John Lewis is the new benchmark for rental fashion. Raising that level of awareness for consumers, it’s like sharing clothes with friends, only now your friend’s got a massive wardrobe!’

If, like me, you have many, many questions, a full list of FAQs can be found here.

Is John Lewis Fashion Rental available in-store?
It’s online-only for now and you can’t click and collect items in-store.

How many pieces can you rent at one time?
There’s currently no limit, but large orders would be flagged to the HURR team to investigate.

What if it doesn’t fit? Can you try on items first before committing to renting?
If you return the rental within 24 hours then you are part-refunded, part-credited for the cost – read more here.

What’s the return policy? How do you return the rental?
You use a pre-paid returns package and drop off at your local post office (or arrange a courier of your choice).

What is the dry-cleaning process?
All items are dry-cleaned by Oxwash.

Can we use John Lewis gift cards to pay for rental orders?
Not currently, no.

Can I rent anything other than just clothes?
Yes, you can rent bags and shoes, which you’ll find in the accessories section.