In a saturated second-hand market, this little-known alternative presents itself as the new solution for being stylish while saving money. Exclusively for the Journal des Femmes, Laure talks about her experience.
Second-hand goods have been on the rise in recent years. Vinted, Collective locker room, Paradigm : marketplaces intended to resell old clothes have multiplied at great speed. In addition to these virtual places, the resale places of yesteryear, adored by our elders, are also becoming trendy again (see flea markets and garage sales).
It is mainly the purchase and resale that occupies the second-hand media space. However, other lesser-known means are also building the second-hand world of tomorrow. Among them, clothing rental. Although the service has existed for some time – for special occasions such as weddings in particular – it is now being extended to everyday use. A new way of consuming fashion that appeals to many women like Laure, who took the plunge a few months ago. Exclusively, she shares her experience with our media.
In 2026, the young woman subscribed to the box offered by The Closet. For 70 euros per month, Laure obtains 6 rooms which are loaned to her for a period of 30 days (or more, if she wishes). She selects them in advance according to her tastes. A system which presents many advantages on a financial level, for the most part. If the thirty-year-old does not consider herself a shopaholic; She sometimes suffers from “shiny object syndrome”. She explains: “My wardrobe is full to the brim but every time, I say to myself: ‘I have nothing to wear, I have to buy something.’ So, I have this kind of compulsive buying that comes up in me which tells me ‘I have a new outfit, I’m going to wear it’. Except that I’ll get tired of it after a month and it will hang in the back of the cupboard.” And then the vicious cycle of purchasing begins again. If she doesn’t buy clothes every week, she still thinks she’s consuming in a vacuum and stupidly losing money.
Fashion enthusiast but not fashion victim However, she does not follow micro trends blindly. It is above all his passion for beautiful brands which weighs negatively on his bank account. Indeed, Laure likes high-end designer pieces, with three-digit prices. Before signing up for her subscription, she bought an average of two pieces per month from labels like The Kooples, Claudie Pierlot Or Sandro. A rather substantial budget, when you know that a single item of clothing is worth around 300 euros: the monthly total can therefore quickly reach 600 euros. “It goes up very quickly”she admits. The subscription costs 70 euros: interesting when you know that these premium brands are almost all available on the platform. By subscribing to ClosetLaure therefore makes a significant saving of up to 530 euros per month.
Also, since she rented her dressing room, Laure no longer has the desire to make rash purchases. She confides: “It stopped me from making compulsive purchases. I know that in this mid-season transition period, I’m going to want to buy shirts, jackets, new clothes – something I didn’t do. Instead, I went to Le Closet and bought myself some blouses, a new handbag. I think that if I hadn’t had that, for sure, I would have bought things in store.”
