I Earned Over $22,000 Renting Out My Clothes — Including My Wedding Dress

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• Fashion rental apps give users the opportunity to earn passive income from their clothes.
• Londoner Camille B. has earned over £18,000, or about $22,000, by renting out her designer items on the apps.
• Camille paid for her wedding look by renting them from the app for future brides.

This is the as-told to essay based on a conversation with Camille B. (a 31-year old, French-born Londoner) about her side hustle that uses peer-to-peer fashion rental app ByRotation. Insider has verified Camille B.’s identity and income through the apps with documentation. The following has been edited for clarity and length.

I have always preferred to purchase quality items that I can wear multiple times and that last. It’s a French mentality. Quality and craftsmanship are important.

Now, whenever I buy a new item, I put it on an application after taking a few pictures. I have noticed that photos of me in London and the park are posted on both the app (@instagram) and my Instagram (@).dutempsetdesreves), they do better than if I just take photos of the item off the website.

It is very simple to use the apps. It takes just two minutes for each item, and 20 minutes in total. It is as easy as uploading photos and entering the item’s price. The app will then give you an estimate of the daily rental cost.

I select the recommended price, then I choose the minimum period I wish to rent the item for (usually two or three day depending on the item). The app will suggest a weekly rental amount (usually discounted by half-off) and a monthly rental amount for longer rentals.

How much does it cost to use fashion rental apps?

I’m responsible for the cleaning and postage of each item — I get a discount from the dry cleaner because I do a lot of rentals.

For dry cleaning, I pay on average £50 to £60 a month, or about $60 to $70, and postage for every item is around £8, even though I only charge the renters £4 to £5, or about $5 to $6, for posting per rental. To make it easier to rent my items, the cost of shipping was subsidized. I could have my items shipped by the post office for less, but I prefer the highest and most expensive service, which is tracked and insured and guaranteed that it will arrive the next day before noon. I also offer the option for people to pick it up if they need.

ByRotation also offers managed rentals. They take care of the postage and cleaning but take a higher commission. I do not have them manage my items so they take a 15% Commission.

I keep track of every item I rent across all platforms by keeping a spreadsheet. It’s a substantial amount of money every month. My combined earnings across the different apps is over £18,300, or about $22,000, since I began renting my clothes out during the pandemic..

Before I got married, I was putting my rental income asideI can use it to purchase my wedding dresses. I can now use the money I don’t have to spend on the wedding for something else like paying for my wedding dress. my student loans, which are around £450, or about $548, a month.

I have rented out my wedding gowns to other brides

Because of Covid, my fiancé, Natan, and I had to delay our ceremony, so I did my wedding in two parts.

First, a micro-wedding at my hometown in the south: Villeneuve-Loubet between Antibes & Nice. I wanted something simple so I purchased a slip camisole from Anine Bing. It was very comfortable to wear and cost $349.25 AUD or $233. I have rented it multiple times, including to a bride who wanted it for her wedding.

I was overwhelmed to be a part of such a special day. The dress was beautiful on her.

After Covid restrictions were eased, I hosted a weekend celebration with a pool party as well as a rehearsal dinner and a ceremony in Sicily to celebrate my real wedding. Two weeks after the wedding, I posted the Dolce & Gabbana dresses I wore for my rehearsal dinner and pool party on the app and got a request for them right away.

I even put the Dolce & Gabbana earrings I wore for my wedding on the app. They rent very well. I rent jewelry, belts and earrings. These accessories are not necessarily expensive and people don’t want to spend too much on them. It is often quite affordable to rent them. My mom is a fashion enthusiast and gave me her vintage Chanel metal belt, which she bought in the 80s or 90s, a few years back. I uploaded it to ByRotation. It was worn by a London influencer for a photo shoot. It’s been rented four times for a total of £114.05, or about $138.

Fashion rental apps have revolutionized the way I shop for clothes

It has changed the way I buy. If I see something I like, I ask myself if it is suitable for renting. Can I recoup the investment? I will rent items I can rent, so I won’t buy them.

Dresses work best and rent out the most, especially brands like Jacquemus, Cult Gaia, and brands I don’t wear personally, like The Vampire’s Wife and Rixo — trendy British brands which have pieces people would wear to an event only once.

I have a yellow Jacquemus dress which was rented 30 times, for a total of £1,651.71, or about $2,000. I paid £729 for it, or about $887.

Some of my most popular dresses, which I rent most often, I have in two sizes so that they can be rented even more. My sizes range from 6 to 10. My items range from sizes 6 to 10.

In summer I rent many dresses. In winter, my skis are rented constantly. I have a Chanel jumpsuit that I bought secondhand on Depop. It was a great deal and is rented out every week during the winter months.

Chat on apps such as ByRotation. People will often have questions about the fit or length. This app is great for women who are like-minded and want to be sustainable. It’s great. It’s great because you can make money while also making friends and helping the environment.