While seasoned skiers invest in quality kit to last several seasons, what happens when they no longer like their style, or change size? Splurging on new skiwear, only to be worn a week or two a year, makes neither financial nor sustainable sense.
Skiwear, often made using synthetics and PFCs (perfluorinated compounds) to make it waterproof, pollutes the planet. By borrowing pre-owned skiwear, you reduce the need to manufacture new kit using up the planet’s finite resources. You can also save money.
Here, we look at five of the top skiwear rental sites.
By Rotation The Ski Edit
Rent: White Jumpsuit, Perfect Moment, from £135
‘Skiing can very easily become an expensive holiday, putting fashion aside,’ says Eshita Kabra-Davies, founder of By Rotation, the peer-to-peer fashion lending app favoured by influencers and fashion editors. ‘Given our mission is to reduce the wear-once mindset, we have demand outpace supply on By Rotation for the ski collection.’ We eyed up a ski jumpsuit from Perfect Moment, a Moncler jacket and metallic Moon Boots, all available to rent for 10 per cent of the retail price, with the option to rent it for several days. Either receive the kit via Royal Mail or choose a pick-up at an in-person location.
Hurr
Rent: Moon Boot, from £36
‘Ski holidays are the perfect example of where rental makes total sense,’ says Victoria Prew, founder of rental site Hurr. ‘Skiwear is one of the worst offenders as its hardly ever worn. You can try new silhouettes, prints and brands without contributing to the fashion waste crisis.’ Hurr lists luxury outerwear and stylish outfits for après-ski and currently offers £10 off a first rental. On each Hurr rental item, users are reminded of their environmental savings. For example, renting the Perfect Moment Ski Suit, instead of buying it new and wearing it once, you save 795kg of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of 13 trees or 2800 miles in a car.
EcoSki
Rent: Protest Connie Snow Jacket, from £35
EcoSki is the first of the rental sites targeted specifically for skiwear and is already at full capacity for some items over Christmas and New Year. ‘Skiwear is designed to keep us warm, dry and safe in harsh environments so it must be durable and hard wearing. It’s this durability that makes pre-owned skiwear a brilliant alternative to buying new,’ says EcoSki founder Rachael Westbrook. In addition to the EcoSki rental service, the site also sells pre-owned ski kit and offers a trade-in service for clothes bought via their site. Customers rent ski kit for rental periods of four, eight, 12 or 16 days, starting at £4 per day. Between rentals, the items are cleaned and repaired, if necessary, before being dispatched to the next customer.
Selfridges Rental
Rent: Moncler Grenoble Ski Trousers, from £78
Last year, Selfridges launched adult ski rental which accounted for a third of total rentals on the Selfridges Rental site. Later this year, the offer is set to include children’s skiwear. Brands such as Perfect Moment, Goldbergh and Moon Boots are available for rent via Selfridges. By offering the rental experience, Selfridges hopes to pave the way towards a brighter future for fashion and to close the loop on waste as part of their Project Earth initiative.
MY WARDROBE HQ
Rent: Soi Ski Bunny Jumpsuit, from £12
‘Why would you even want to buy skiwear new, when next season you’re bound to want to mix up your style?’ asks MY WARDROBE HQ. Here, designer-led skiwear for rental sits alongside stylish and practical underlayers and gloves. You can even rent animal onesie skiwear for children. The rental period, which starts for at least four days, can be extended up to 14 days. On your return, pop the item in the pre-paid envelope and mail it back. Every item you rent, but don’t wear, you will receive a refund upon its return.
By Annabel Jack
December 2022
