Ballerific Fashion: Amazon Teams Up With Rent The Runway To Sell Secondhand Luxury

Shoppers can buy Chanel and Christian Louboutin on Amazon, and now the retailer is allowing secondhand luxury from Rent the Runway on the platform. 

On Jan. 13, Rent the Runway officially brought its luxury clothes to Amazon. According to CNBC, hundreds of items from the company’s “pre-loved” collection, plus new, never-worn pieces from its ‘design collective,’ can now be purchased on Amazon through a virtual Rent the Runway storefront. 

The secondhand clothes include Kate Spade, Tory Sport, rag and bone, and more. 

Rent the Runway CEO Jenn Hyman said, “It really brings Rent the Runway much wider brand awareness,” Hyman said in an interview with CNBC, “Launching programs with major retailers like Amazon is a scaled way to find a home for inventory departing our rental ecosystem while also further monetizing those units.” 

The partnership offers an expansion for the secondhand luxury site and shopping platform. 

For years, Rent the Runway has convinced people to rent clothing from the Runway, while Amazon has tried to gain consumers’ trust to buy luxury items on the site. 

This is the first time consumers can purchase secondhand items from Amazon. 

“There is no site in this country that has higher awareness than Amazon. Rent the Runway is a service that has something for everyone, and we feel that the customer base for us should be broad and diverse,” Hyman adds. She also said that the brand has spent less than 10% of revenue marketing and leans on word-of-mouth, which makes sense why the brand is partnering with Amazon. 

It’s a win-win because it will attract even more customers to Amazon.

“At Amazon Fashion, we continually expand our assortment through strategic relationships with brands to inspire and delight our customers,” said Amazon Fashion president Muge Erdirik Dogan. “Rent the Runway’s collection continues to grow our offering in pre-loved and designer fashion.”