By Rotation - the app that's on a mission to tackle fast fashion

by Startacus Admin
Transforming how we consume fashion - By Rotation is a peer-to-peer fashion rental app that will empower you to do good for your wardrobe, your wallet and planet
Fashion. It’s something we totes know a lot about - just look at us. We’ve written about plenty of fashion startups in the past, and in particular about those promoting sustainable fashion, such as Nuw, which wants to see more clothes shared and reused instead of thrown away after a few uses.
The fashion industry is responsible for a massive amount of pollution and waste, and the end product is sometimes something that is worn for one event or perhaps one summer and then discarded. Whether this is simply in the back of the wardrobe, like wedding attire, or into a landfill ultimately doesn’t make a big difference. Either way, it’s a piece of clothing that contributed to the environmental devastation the industry causes and then isn’t used again (and sooner or later, that wedding suit in the back of the wardrobe is going to get thrown away anyway). And so we look to other, more intelligent solutions.
London-based fashion-tech startup By Rotation starts with a similar story to Nuw - created after the founder’s trip to India and seeing the effects of textile waste inflicted on the people and the environment by the industry that she loved.
The platform allows people to rent quality second-hand clothing from over 70,000 other users, meaning that you’ll never be without a ‘new’ outfit for any occasion. The owner of the clothing is responsible for keeping it clean, and they can add a cleaning fee if they feel it necessary, but because ‘Rotators’ are rated and reviewed, that alone is reason enough for the renter to do their part to keep the clothes clean and in good condition. All you need to do is download the app, look through the options, and arrange to have it posted to you, delivered by courier, or pick it up in person. Then return it - that’s also an important part.
This platform isn’t only useful for people attending events or wanting an outfit just for the summer, etc.; it can be of great benefit to people such as certain YouTubers, who need or just want a fresh look for every video they make, but don’t have the wardrobe department of a TV studio.
In May, By Rotation teamed up with Page8 Hotel in London to offer guests a clothing rental concierge. In July, By Rotation opened a two-week pop-up shop in the Westfield London shopping centre to raise more awareness about the alternatives to fast fashion. Both went down very well, and we expect the collaborations to continue as the platform grows.
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Published on: 28th July 2021
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