Closet Runway Review: Affordable Designer Clothing Rental Now in South Africa

Closet Runway

Are you stressing about what to wear to your friend’s wedding? Though the couple may be promising ’till death do us part, you don’t have to make the same commitment to your look on their big day. Rather than splashing out on an expensive dress you may never wear again, or compromise for a less-than-fabulous look, why not consider renting your dress instead?

Commitment-phobic fashion lovers will love the new fashion rental trend that has taken South Africa (and the US), by storm over recent months. If you’re not ready to make a permanent addition to your wardrobe, then fashion rental businesses come in handy for when you want to try something new at a fraction of the price.

Clothing rental

For a friend’s wedding in Franschhoek, I recently rented a dreamy Maje Paris gown from Cape Town-based fashion rental company, Closet Runway. On the rails at the mid-luxury clothing rental service, you’ll find a few garments from the Maje collection by French-Moroccan designer, Judith Milgrom. These lust-worthy pieces were previously inaccessible to South African fashion lovers (unless they have the budget to travel to Paris for a shopping spree), looking to don her beautiful creations.

We love having options

Founded by Cape Town based, Burundi born-model Ange-Nicole and Evelina, a business developer in the financial services industry, from Namibia, the store is set to revolutionize the fashion industry in South Africa, providing customers with access to designer clothing at an affordable price.

Closet Runway

Fashion fiends can rent clothing for special occasions, events, photoshoots, and everyday wear, and can choose from a range of different styles, from casual to formal. The wide variety of designer clothing options include some of the most sought-after brands in the world, plus South African high-end labels like Thebe Magugu and Maxhosa Africa.

“The Closet Runway selection is curated with the end goal that it serves clients options for different and numerous events and functions,” explains Ange-Nicole. “We also consider skin tones, colours, fabrics, body silhouettes, and of course the quality of the garment.”

Closet Runway

But it’s not just about opening up your wardrobe choices. In addition to providing customers with a cost-effective way to stay on trend, Closet Runway is also committed to sustainability. By renting clothing instead of buying it, customers can reduce their carbon footprint and decrease the amount of clothing that ends up in landfills.

“We are thrilled to be opening our first store in South Africa and to be bringing designer clothing rental to the region,” says Eveline. “Our goal is to make designer clothing more accessible and affordable for everyone, while also promoting sustainability in the fashion industry.”

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The Closet Runway experience

Closet Runway works on an inventory-based rental model with the garments all being owned and managed by the rental service. Renting with Closet Runway is easy. Simply visit the Closet Runway website to browse through the catalogue of garments that have been personally sourced by Ange-Nicole and Evelina.

The site includes a wide selection of designer clothing and formal dresses from a number of designer brands, starting from R399 per garment for a four-day rental. The rental price includes free shipping, returns, and dry cleaning nationwide in South Africa, so you can rent with them no matter where you are.

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If you’re the type of person who prefers to try things on in person first, and you’re in the Cape Town area, then you can book an appointment at the Closet Runway showroom in De Waterkant to try on outfits and gowns from designers like Olivia Von Halle and Meena Rose.

I would highly recommend this option as visiting the showroom is a real highlight. I mean, who doesn’t want to spend an hour trying on beautiful designer creations? The team at Closet Runway are experts at helping you find the right gown to suit your style and the occasion you’re attending. I paid a visit to the showroom for a try-on session and loved being able to touch and feel the dresses and try on a range of different styles before deciding on ‘the one’.

Closet Runway_WomenStuff collection

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Many of the dresses look absolutely beautiful in the photography on the website, and the team has gone through so much trouble to ensure clients can see beautiful images of the dresses on models of all sizes, but the sheer beauty of some of the dresses and outfits can truly only be appreciated when you’re seeing them up close.

Clients can rent in sizes ranging from XS to XL to suit occasions ranging from a daytime sojourn to a night out or a formal event. The team at Closet Runway have plans to expand the sizing even further as the collection grows, but it’s best to visit the showroom if you’re concerned about fit and sizing as many of the dresses are labelled as a certain size but can look fabulous on a range of different shapes and sizes.

Closet Runway_WomenStuff collection

A dress to remember

The Maje Paris gown I rented from Closet Runway was beyond beautiful and incredibly comfortable. Before visiting the showroom I made sure to browse the Closet Runway website for some options to try on but in the end, thanks to advice from the lovely Ange-Nicole, I opted for a dress that wasn’t even on my radar to begin with.

The flowy, romantic pink Maje gown was the perfect choice for a late afternoon wedding in Franschhoek and I felt like an absolute queen wearing such a stunning designer dress.

Closet Runway_WomenStuff collection

Now that I know this dress is  sure winner for a special occasion I will definitely be renting it again in future if I need a showstopping option. Even better, now that I have visited the showroom to try on a few things I can confidently rent the gowns I’ve already tried on using the Closet Runway online rental service and have it delivered to my door.

Find them

The Closet Runway showroom is located at 16 Jarvis Street, De Waterkant, Cape Town and is open Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00, and Saturday from 09:00 to 15:00. Private styling appointments with Ange-Nicole and Evelina are available by prior arrangement.

For more information about Closet Runway, please visit the website here.

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