Dress to Impress, Not Excess: 5 Best Places to Rent Your Wardrobe in Dubai

There’s something about party season that makes even the most sensible among us temporarily forget the contents of our wardrobes. An invitation arrives, the dress code reads ‘festive glamour’, and suddenly the perfectly lovely outfits we’ve worn on previous occasions seem wholly inadequate. Never mind that we spent a small fortune on them just last December. But before you reach for your credit card, perhaps you can rent your wardrobe in Dubai instead.

With Christmas fast approaching, the temptation to splash out on something new is strong. And in Dubai, where dressing up is practically a competitive sport, the pressure to arrive looking suitably fabulous can be difficult to resist.

But behind the glittering shop windows and rails of sequinned party dresses lies a rather less glamorous reality. According to research by Oxfam, an estimated 1.7 million sequinned garments and accessories were destined for the bin following the 2019 Christmas party season in the UK alone. The same research found that party outfits were worn an average of just five times before being discarded.

And all those sequins? Most are made of plastic, so long after the Christmas decorations are packed away and the New Year’s resolutions are forgotten, those tiny shimmering discs remain in the environment and eventually break down into microplastics.

But it’s not just sequins and embellishments. An investigation by the environmental charity Hubbub found that 94 per cent of the 169 party dresses it examined contained plastic or plastic-derived fabrics.

It’s a sobering thought when you consider that the fashion industry is frequently estimated to produce around 100 billion garments every year, while the world generates a staggering 92 million tonnes of textile waste annually. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, that’s the equivalent of a rubbish truck full of discarded textiles every single second.

Of course, nobody is suggesting we abandon the festive sparkle altogether. But perhaps it’s time to reconsider the assumption that every invitation requires another new outfit.

Fortunately, a growing number of fashion rental businesses in the UAE are offering a rather more appealing alternative: all the glamour, considerably less commitment, and no need to find another six inches of wardrobe space.

So, whether you’re after a show-stopping designer gown, a festive cocktail dress or something suitably extravagant for New Year’s Eve, here’s where to rent your wardrobe in Dubai without spending a small fortune.

Where To Rent Your Wardrobe in Dubai This Party Season

Endless

Founded by Rosie Gunn, Endless is a Dubai-based rental and resale platform offering pieces from more than 500 brands, including Self-Portrait, Zimmermann, Rat & Boa and House of CB, with rentals starting from around AED 185. Delivery, collection, professional cleaning and damage protection are included. And for those of you who leave your outfit decisions until the eleventh hour, selected pieces can even be delivered within two hours across Dubai. The platform also allows customers to list their own clothing for rental or resale. That expensive dress worn once to a wedding could finally start earning its keep rather than occupying valuable wardrobe space.

Best Kept Shared

The brainchild of Sophie Kjoller and Kelly Power, Best Kept Shared operates rather like an Airbnb for designer wardrobes, connecting women who own beautiful clothes with those who would love to borrow them. Members can browse designer dresses, handbags and accessories, with rentals available for three days or a week. Women can also make money from the designer pieces gathering dust in their wardrobes. Simply list an outfit for rent and earn 70 per cent of the rental fee, minus any applicable delivery costs. And with a collection of designer pieces available from wardrobes across the city, it’s an opportunity to enjoy somebody else’s excellent taste without inheriting their credit card bill.

Designer 24

Sometimes a special occasion calls for something a little more dramatic than a cocktail dress. Designer-24 specialises in luxury eveningwear, bridal fashion and designer gowns, making it well suited to black-tie celebrations and lavish end-of-year events. Rent celebrity-approved looks, shimmering ‘wow factor’ ballgowns, fairytale wedding dresses and stunning pieces from the world’s biggest designers, all for a mere portion of the original price tag. Customers can browse the collection online or arrange an appointment at its Dubai Design District showroom to try on potential outfits before committing. If you’re dreaming of a red-carpet entrance without the designer price tag, this could be your answer!

Rent Your Wardrobe

With a collection spanning Western eveningwear, Arabic and Indian occasionwear, Rent Your Wardrobe was founded in 2020 and caters to both women and men so you’re never caught in the same outfit twice. Members can rent several items a month and choose from casual wear, formal wear, holidays, nights out, parties, weddings and more.

And if your own wardrobe includes a few expensive dresses that haven’t seen the light of day in years, RYW lets you put them to work. Customers can list their own dresses for others to rent, earning money from pieces that would otherwise be gathering dust. It’s a clever way to recoup some of the original investment while extending the life of existing garments.

The Hour Dress

If your invitation calls for red-carpet glamour but your bank balance has other ideas, The Hour Dress might just be your fairy godmother. From show-stopping evening gowns and elaborate bridal creations to designer pieces guaranteed to turn heads, this luxury rental boutique lets you dress like a million dollars without spending anywhere near it. Founded in Beirut in 2015 by Lebanese-French entrepreneur Olivia Mezher, The Hour Dress brought its glamorous collection to Dubai’s City Walk, where you can book an appointment to find your perfect fit. And if you’ve already got a few spectacular gowns gathering dust at home, you can put them up for rent too.