According to Anna Sillanpää, CEO at Robes Rental, and Katriina Virtanen, CEO at Voglia, the intention is to inspire Finns and their wardrobes to take a leap in quality.

According to statistics, the average Finn spent around 730 euros on clothing in 2022. But where does the money go? The consumer is feeling the pinch of inflation and high interest rates in their wallet whilst fast fashion with its seasonal selections offers affordable temptations. Many responsible Finnish clothing brands have found themselves in difficulties and some have gone out of business.

– In addition to having perhaps less money to spend, we, as consumers buying clothes, don’t know how to assess the quality of garments very well anymore. Many find it difficult to know about the quality and durability of materials as well as the way an item is manufactured. We want to elevate the appreciation for and the quality of clothing through our work. A well-manufactured garment lasts in use and has resale value, stresses Kristiina Virtanen, Voglia’s Quality Manager.

Shared wardrobe invites experimentation

The idea behind the peer-to-peer rental service Robes Rental is to provide an affordable means of enjoying high-quality clothing. It differs from traditional clothing rentals in that the company does not own any of its clothes. Instead, it offers consumers a digital platform for renting out their own garments and accessories to each other, thus giving users access to an enormous wardrobe.

– There are enough clothes in the world to dress the next six generations. And there are gorgeous items just hanging in the back of people’s closets unused. Our objective is to radically reduce the purchasing of new clothes and accessories, and to increase the use of items that already exist. Doubling the use of clothes alone would halve the emissions of the clothing industry, says Sillanpää, one of the five founders of Robes Rental.

While researching the clothing and textile industry, Sillanpää learned that before this there were no financial incentives for consumers to invest in higher quality clothes. But now Robes Rental is one of the companies to change that.

– Many of our users have stopped buying new clothes entirely. Renting has become the economically most sensible alternative, which means that the quality of clothing and accessories in use will increase, she says.

So, there is no need to give up enjoying fashion. Sillanpää says that clothes are connected to self-expression, and the way you dress can increase your self-esteem in certain situations. By renting, you can experiment and find your own style in an affordable manner.

– You can, for example, rent a high-end label dress for a party for some tens of euros for the weekend. The most common comment we get is people wondering how this has only now become available. Clearly the time is ripe for this type of service, she says.

Renting makes high-end fashion accessible to all

Robes Rental operates in the Helsinki area and already has thousands of renters. Customer satisfaction is high, and clothes and accessories are returned to their owners in good condition.

­– We have managed to reach consumers who have never rented fashion before. Peer-to-peer rental keeps the rent prices of clothes and accessories really affordable, making high-end fashion accessible to many, says Sillanpää.

The service also acts as a window for designers and fashion businesses, offering exposure to a new audience. There are also collections designed specifically for rental purposes.

– Robes Rental gives designers and companies the opportunity to create something more exclusive or to test new products and get consumer feedback, Sillanpää suggests.

Robes Rental’s next objective is to expand its operations throughout Finland and broaden its scope to major cities in Europe.

A high-quality item is a joy to care for

Could Voglia produce a collection solely for rental purposes?

– Yes, it definitely could. That is something that might be interesting in the future. We have spent a lot of time contemplating our way of keeping our products in circulation and the possibilities of re-selling them. So far, our experiments have not proven to be profitable enough, but I believe we are getting closer to the time when they will be, says CEO Katriina Virtanen.

Voglia has concentrated on manufacturing long-lasting quality products. The company has changed its working methods over the last decade. Nowadays, there are no longer collections based on seasons. Items are designed to be timeless and to complement one another.

– We have consciously detached ourselves from fast cycles and moved towards finding one’s own identity and style. Fashion and the way you dress are key parts of self-expression. We do less and better, and consider the ways in which we can extend the lifecycle of the clothes we sell, Katriina explains.

When a quality garment finds its buyer, it is the responsibility of the customer to take care of it. Voglia goes to great lengths to get customers to wash their clothes according to the instructions and to mend them. A great example of this is Voglia’s repair and maintenance services, which won the award for Most Responsible Product 2024 in the category of Dressing and Wellbeing.

– We have created a Product Promise concept which includes a one-year product guarantee with repair and maintenance services for a year, and you can also purchase easy-to-use quality tools to take care of your clothes. We want people to love our clothes longer, Katriina says.

Voglia wants to help customers understand the consequences their choices have on the environment. The company provides information on responsibility in an easy-to-understand format. In autumn 2023, the company launched the Impact Scale. It measures the product-specific carbon footprint for a selection of products while also comparing the price of the product in relation to its lifetime.

– The calculator has generated interest especially among other companies. Online selling especially makes it challenging to convey the quality of our products and to justify our prices if the brand is new to a customer. The Impact Scale is one way of expressing our quality in more concrete terms and making a promise that our product lasts, says Katriina.

The Impact Scale has been developed together with LAB University of Applied Sciences, with EU funding. Impact calculations are currently available for Voglia’s five most popular items. The company aims to add other products to the calculator.

Buying and ownership change

The future and business momentum look promising for both companies.

– I believe that consumers are thinking more about the resale or rental value of fashion. They are then willing to pay more and automatically choose something of a higher quality, says Katriina.

Consumers are also more willing to question whether they actually need to own everything.

– It’s good to take a moment and think about your relationship with buying and owning clothing. You can entertain the thought with friends and, if you are interested in renting, start by opening up your wardrobe to a group of friends, Sillanpää proposes.