Erin McDowell/Business Insider
I rented $938 worth of clothes from Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Free People for just $88 - here's what I thought of the whole experience.
- As an avid shopper of URBN brands including Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Free People, I was excited to try the company's new clothing rental service.
- For just $88 per month, shoppers can rent like-new and vintage clothes hand-selected by the style masterminds at URBN.
- Nuuly members can choose up to six items per month from a large selection of apparel, from vintage leather jackets and glamorous evening wear to your new favorite pair of jeans.
- Here's what I got in my first Nuuly rental and my thoughts on whether the service is really worth it.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
As an avid shopper of the URBN family of brands - Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Free People - I was anxious to try out the company's new clothing rental service, Nuuly.
Nuuly is a monthly rental subscription service for women's apparel. Customers of Nuuly can choose any six items for just $88 per month. Once the month ends, the next billing cycle will occur and customers can send the items back or choose to buy them, often at a discounted price point. Once Nuuly has received all the items you no longer want, you can order your next Nuuly.
"We have an assortment that's tailored to be really fun and versatile so that the customer can wear the items she chooses in different ways over the course of her month," Kim Gallagher, Nuuly's director of marketing and customer success, told Business Insider.
The clothing offered on Nuuly is not limited to just Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Free People. The site also carries a wide selection of items from over 100 third-party brands. Not only does Nuuly offer basics like jeans and simple blouses, but they also have stylish evening wear, fur coats, vintage T-shirts, leather jackets, and more. Browsing the website, I was excited to try something new or high-end, without the commitment of actually purchasing it.
Gallagher said that's one of Nuuly's goals: giving shoppers the opportunity to test out different styles.
"The great thing about renting is that it's about discovery. You're only paying a low price per item each month so it gives you the opportunity to take some risks. You could wear a bold print or a trendy silhouette you aren't quite sure about buying," Gallagher explained. "Another great part of renting is that you have access to things you might not be able to afford at full price."
That was definitely true in my experience - once I added all the items I wanted to my cart, I was taken aback to see they would have cost me $938 to buy. Instead, I was paying $88 to try them out for the month. That seemed like an amazing deal to me, especially as someone who loves to wear different things every day and try out new looks.
Perhaps aimed at a Gen Z or Millennial consumer familiar with the URBN family of brands, many of the clothes on Nuuly are fun, out-of-the-box pieces that are completely on-trend. However, Gallagher said there's something for everyone.
"Nuuly is perfect for women who want newness in their wardrobes, but don't want to be wasteful," she said. "She may be someone who has an active social calendar or needs new looks for work each day, but regardless of whichever life stage she's in, she is a creative-minded customer."
Here's what I thought of the whole experience, from signing up to trying on the clothes and sending the items back at the end of the month.