Kiabi tries clothes rental: good or bad idea?

As Camaïeu goes into liquidation and Pimkie suffers from financial difficulties, Kiabi continues to innovate in an attempt to survive in the French fast fashion market. As noted by the specialized media Fashion networkthe company is testing subscription clothing rental at three of its stores.

Kiabi is testing its clothing rental service in 3 French stores

Starting from € 19 per month, Kiabi allows you to rent 5 items. It goes to 29 € for 10 pieces, 39 € for 15 and 49 € for 20 pieces. Already available in Noyelles-Godault (Pas-de-Calais city in the Hauts-de-France region) from August 2022, this Kiabi clothing rental service starts at the beginning of October in Pontet (in Vaucluse, Provence-Alpes-Costa d’Azur), then to Bègles (city on the southern outskirts of Bordeaux, in the department of Gironde in New Aquitaine) by the middle of the month.

This is a test and learning phase for customers and for the French brand. created in 1978 and which today belongs to the Mulliez family (also owners of Auchan, Boulanger, Flunch or even Jules). Kiabi will thus be able to better understand the needs and expectations of the public to calibrate and perfect this service, before a possible launch on the national market (where it has 553 stores which in 2021 recorded 2 billion euros in sales).

For example, for the moment, there is no penalty in the event of a stained or worn product. You can also trade as many as you like and you can keep a piece without a render deadline. All you have to do is return all the rented items to end the subscription.

No time limit or number of changes – enough to dress up your kids easily

It is therefore a Kiabi service that can be of particular interest to families whose children grow up so quickly., since the brand also dresses men, women, children and even babies. On the adult side, however, it is not (yet?) Possible to buy a garment that we would have started by renting. But will this uninhibit or even encourage fashion aficionados to consume clothes at a frantic pace? Not according to Adélaïde Vallée, director of Kiabi’s “new services” project, interviewed by Fashion network :

” It is a belief to think that if people can trade without limits, they really will.. If for some this pushes them to consumption, well these garments will have a second life since they will come back to us. It’s better than them sleeping in their closets. “

In fact, depending on their conditions, the rented clothes that would be returned to Kiabi should either be rented again, or enter the second-hand circuit, or be sold to solidarity shops, or given to associations or separate collection channels.

But if the project extends to the national scale, we can already ask ourselves about the (often polluting) logistics put in place to centralize all these garments in order to recondition them (through processes themselves often also polluting) to be re-rented, resold or given away, And also question the carbon footprint of such processes.

By way of comparison, if other fast fashion giants such as Zara or H&M have made their online purchases chargeable, it is also to cover the cost of refurbishing the parts (sometimes at such low prices that it would be cheaper to get rid of them) and to empower customers. its customers. But for the moment, Kiabi announces that he is not (yet) looking for profitability through this service.

Front page photo credit: Kiabi.