Clothing resale and rental platform Rntr. chief executive Shanya Suppasiritad says Australians are turning to renting fashion labels and other clothing items rather than buying new to overcome the high cost of buying items, with the trend led by younger consumers who are also conscious of cutting their carbon emissions.

“Rntr. helps consumers save up to 75% of the recommended retail price (RRP) through renting rather than buying new clothing, based on the average spend of our customers of $160; that represents a saving of around $480 for each garment rented by our customers,” she said.

“Many of our customers say they shop second-hand to be able to afford higher-end brands. We think this is a growing trend, the renting of clothing as sustainability targets become more urgent.”

Her comments come after data showed that Australian retail turnover rose 0.3 per cent in January 2025, according to seasonally adjusted figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). This follows a fall of 0.1 per cent in December 2024 and a rise of 0.7 per cent in November 2024.

Department store sales rose 0.6% while clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing increased 2.0%, according to the ABS data.

“With retail sales rising by only 0.7%, renting and resale program are one of very few ways brands can unlock growth. While the ABS data is still strong, consumers are likely to turn away from buying new clothing to renting items for a few days at a time, using platforms such as Rntr. which makes renting fashion labels directly from brands such as Oroton, Bec + Bridge and Lovaan easy and accessible for consumers,” she said.

“Cost of living crisis and sustainability concerns are driving shoppers, particularly younger ones, towards ‘pre-loved’ garments and we expect other buyers will join in too, as well as those seeking clothing for special occasions such as weddings and parties,” Suppasiritad said.

“For our own business, we have seen some customers rent up to three times in one quarter. That is a positive trend as we are buying too much new clothing, a trend triggered by ‘fast fashion’.

“Australians buy 54 new garments per person each year, yet 60% of new items end up in landfill within 12 months, creating microplastics. According to Greenpeace, the average person buys 60% more clothing and keeps them for about half as long as 15 years ago. Other studies suggest that 50% to 80% of new clothes go unworn after they are bought,” she said.

“In the current day, with new clothing massively underutilised, especially in a high-income nation like Australia, the current wasteful system is placing pressures on global resources and responsible for a huge level of carbon emissions. Globally, second-hand sales are expected to reach 10% of global fashion sales in 2025.

“Reusing instead of buying can reduce an item’s CO2 impact by over 80%, cuts water pollution and landfill. Rntr. offers a recurring revenue, a solution to returns, and new younger customers to brands, all while decreasing the environmental impact of new clothing production. Short-term rental models and resale offer a compelling value proposition, particularly when taking changing consumer needs into consideration,” Suppasiritad said.

About Rntr.

Rntr. is a white-label recommerce platform that enables premium brands to offer rental, resale, and repair services directly on their own websites. With a commitment to sustainability and circular fashion, Rntr. empowers brands to provide their customers with an enhanced shopping experience while reducing environmental impact.

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