P.S. Rental, a new luxury bridal rental platform, launches in the UK

The bridal industry has found a new disrupter with the launch of rental platform P.S. Rental.

Billed as the first-ever dedicated luxury wedding dress and accessories rental platform, the company offers a sustainable alternative to purchasing garments that are in essence worn only once.

Founded by celebrity stylists turned occasionwear entrepreneurs, Ella Gaskell and Zoe Graham, P.S. Rental builds on the duo’s already successful personal styling platform for brides that was launched during lockdown. The duo are experts in the wedding market having directly helped hundreds of brides source and buy their dresses, as well as gathered data from over 4,500 brides quizzed via their styling platform.

Price matters

In the UK the average cost of a luxury wedding dress is estimated at 3,500 pounds. Prices for renting on the platform average at 30 percent of the retail price.

Stocking dresses and accessories from a mix of established and emerging designers including Suzanne Neville, Oscar De La Renta, Halfpenny, Dior, Nikeen Asar, Savin London and Sassi Holford, brides can request to try up to three dresses at home for a fee of 30-50 pounds per session.

Once a dress or accessories have been chosen it is possible for a bride to ‘book’ these items up to a year in advance. Temporary alterations are also possible, outsourced to experienced seamstresses.

New dresses from old dresses

Circularity and extending the lifespan of a garment are central to what Gaskell and Graham are aiming to achieve. Once a dress has come to the end of its viable rental life, there are two possibilities; dresses are either repaired and sold on via the platform, or, the case of dresses are unsalvageable, they are refashioned into a new dress combining materials and elements from deadstock.

In a statement Ella Gaskell said: ‘I always wanted to rent my wedding dress, the idea of buying something you wear once and then sits in the loft is madness! For my wedding, I am looking for a show-stopping gown but don't feel the need to buy it new. I found the current bridal rental offer doesn't match up to what myself and other brides were looking for, that is why we are launching P.S. Rental."

“"On average a wedding dress is the most expensive item of clothing a woman will buy in her lifetime. We all feel the pressure to look our best and spend a disproportionate amount to do so. We want to empower women to get that wedding dress out the loft and make some money back. Our service is fully managed too, so It's time to make your dress do the work for you!"

Zoe Graham comments: “The most sustainable garment is the one already in your wardrobe! So it's time to share our wedding dresses and create a more circular environment for all brides to enjoy no matter the budget.”

“A circular economy is the future and a vital part to our survival on this planet. We need to rethink our consuming and throwing-away habits urgently, and stop covering the earth in our leftovers.”