Wardrobe is a just-launched peer-to-peer clothing rental app service partnering with 40 local dry cleaners around New York, and it argues it has solved existing players’ logistical strains by operating with zero overhead or inventory.
It launches with more than 450 luxury, designer and vintage brands including plus-size and maternity wear, none of which is owned by the company and all of which is cleaned elsewhere. And the majority of its network of local dry cleaners use organic solvents in their dry-clean processes. As WWD previously reported, the app began its pilot last December, first partnering with 12 dry cleaners.
But is disrupting a disruptor (e.g., Rent the Runway) the explicit goal of Adarsh Alphons, founder and chief executive officer of Wardrobe?
“Our aim isn’t to steal market share from Rent the Runway. We’re a whole different type of offering: We carry luxury, vintage and items that are totally unique,” said Alphons, citing how each closet is a curation of style by its owner, that is then circulated by Wardrobe.
Before Wardrobe, Alphons founded ProjectArt Inc. an organization that is reported as the largest art school for kids in the U.S., all without owning a single building.
Wardrobe was founded in 2018 and has $1.5
Disrupting the Rental Disruptor With What’s Already There
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