News

Rent the Runway opens brick-and-mortar doors

October 17, 2013

Rent the Runway today unveiled a 1,400-square-foot showroom on the second floor of New York City's Henri Bendel Fifth Avenue flagship store, marking the online fashion website's jump to bricks-and-mortar.

Boasting a rotating selection of dresses and accessories from Rent the Runway's 175 designer brands, women can now try on dresses in advance of renting and work directly with a Rent the Runway Go-To Girl personal stylist.

The store will utilize technology to blend the benefits of online shopping with the physical store and the customer experience, according to a news release. Each fitting room will be equipped with a scanner and iPad for stylists to scan each dress tried on, which will upload to a shopper's "Virtual Closet." Customers can add notes to each dress they try on and later view their closets at any time on the Rent the Runway website.

"With the ability to try on the designer dresses that would be paired with your newest on-trend Henri Bendel accessory purchase, women can alleviate their fit concerns, drop by after work for that last-minute event and more confidently book dresses for the entire season," said Jennifer Hyman, CEO and co-founder of Rent the Runway.

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