Designer dress rental service Girl Meets Dress is investing in improvements to its service.
The London-based company, launched in 2009, is believed to be the UK’s first online business renting out dresses for special occasions, and it currently has almost 3,000 items available for hire. This year sees it updating its website with new features including a calendar filter to make dress availability clear to customers. It has also added Party Boutique and Wedding Boutique sections. As well as renting out dresses, Girl Meets Dress hires bags and sells shapewear and hosiery.
“We are looking to scale significantly over the next year and aim to remain as the leading designer dress rental destination,” said founder Anna Bance. “Our USP is offering women access to their dream wardrobe for all of life’s special occasions. It is a fun concept and hopefully we have answered women’s prayers by giving them a fun and affordable way to always look your absolute best without compromise.
“We are also very excited to continue to support the UK’s new design talent. Our customers love discovering new exciting names in design – so this is something which we will be looking to expand on in 2011.”
At www.girlmeetsdress.com signed-up customers simply browse a collection of over 100 designer brands, and over 500 different designer dress styles – from cocktail dresses to floor length gowns. Brand names include Halston Heritage, Marc Jacobs, Temperley, and Chloe.
Membership is free and the cost to hire ranges from between £29 and £200. Dresses can be borrowed for either two or seven nights, and to return, customers put the dress into pre-paid packaging and drop at the Post Office. It is possible to reserve dresses weeks or months in advance by scheduling a delivery date to tie-in with a social function, or arrange next-day and even same-day delivery within London for last-minute fashion emergencies.
There is a membership option which entitles paid-up members to discounts and priority access to new arrivals. The Guardian has already hailed the service “one of the hottest internet retailers”, while Vogue has called it “the answer to your prayers”.
