MyWardrobe HQ, the fashion and luxury rental and resale platform, is branching into menswear, after announcing a collaboration with Belstaff to introduce the market’s first luxury rental offering for men.
This rental collaboration isn’t about tuxedos and formalwear, MyWardrobe HQ x Belstaff will offer men everyday clothing and outerwear, through Belstaff’s Icons range of bestselling waxed cotton and leather jackets including the Trialmaster, Racemaster and Gangster.
The partnership is “symbolic of how fashion is changing,” added both brands, and will cater to both a millennial customer with a “no ownership” mindset, purchasing and sharing clothing in an exploration of fashion and greener shopping and also to those wishing to invest in key wardrobe items that last forever.
Fran Millar, chief executive at Belstaff, said in a statement: “Belstaff has been producing clothes for close to a century and we are pleased to be offering a new customer the opportunity to rent before they buy. Whilst our Icons range is rooted in history, the fits have been modernised to offer a contemporary addition to any wardrobe.
“MyWardrobe HQ offers a unique service with sustainable fashion at its core, which works with our built for life design philosophy. We look forward to our continued partnership with My Wardrobe HQ, promoting a circular fashion economy.”
MyWardrobe HQ to launch menswear rental with Belstaff and to host panel discussion during London Fashion Week
Currently, there are no menswear rental offerings in the UK other than event wear, explains MyWardrobe HQ. However, it adds that there is demand, with Jane Shepherdson, chair MyWardrobe HQ stating that 30 percent of its existing database are currently men.
MyWardrobe HQ also noted that menswear market in the UK was worth 15.4 billion pounds in 2019, according to Mintel UK market report, and 25 percent of the total value of the UK menswear rental market is worth 3.85 billion pounds.
Shepherdson added: “Rental is going from strength to strength in the womenswear market, and menswear is an obvious next step – in fact, 30 percent of our existing database are men so we know that the demand is there.
“Belstaff were our first choice of launch partner, as we wanted to offer something that is very different to the traditional ‘event’ dressing that the men’s rental market is known for. We couldn’t be prouder of this partnership with Belstaff a brand that is synonymous with long-lasting quality and expert craftsmanship.”
The Belstaff menswear offering will launch with a selection of what it calls its “stand out pieces” including the iconic waxed cotton Trialmaster, a four-pocket field jacket that was quickly adopted by the moto community when it launched in 1948, and additional waxed cotton styles like the shorter Racemaster, and the café racer styled Kelland.
Belstaff’s 6oz waxed cotton is both wind and water-resistant, produced sustainably by the British Millerain, a mill operating in the north of England since the late 19th century.
Leather styles will also be available, including the Trialmaster Panther, a hand-waxed, water-resistant leather variant of the iconic field jacket, the V Racer, a minimalistic café racer style from the 1960s and the Gangster, a shorter field jacket style with an adjustable fit, originally introduced in 1969.
There will also be a selection of womenswear available, including the Trialmaster in waxed cotton, the Marianne, a classic biker style leather, and the Mollison, a café racer style with clean lines and moto-inspired quilting on the shoulders.
To mark the launch, MyWardrobe HQ is hosting a panel event today, February 19, as part of London Fashion Week. The panel will see Shepherdson speaking to Dylan Jones, editor of British GQ, Belstaff brand ambassador actor James Norton, Wilson Oryema, the artist, writer and model, and Misan Harriman, the Nigerian-born British photographer, who recently took the portrait of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to announce their pregnancy news.
MyWardrobe HQ launched in 2019 with the aim of encouraging customers to support the fashion industry by looking at new ways to shop, by championing conscious consumption through rental. Its first offering was contemporary and luxury fashion for women, and in September 2020, the platform added its first ever childrenswear offering. The company believes that fashion rental is the solution to consuming fashion in a sustainable way.
Images: courtesy of Belstaff