What’s What?
When the pandemic first started and lockdowns began, I pretty much binge shopped like everyone else to ease the stress of the unknown and to “stay calm”. However, I didn’t want to pick up the habit I’ve been working to break: impulse buying. It had become an endless cycle of buying an item, whether on sale or because I thought it was cute, wearing it for a single occasion (the horror!) and then rinse, repeat because I never had “anything to wear”. I started small rebuilding my closet years ago; buying items made from genuine and natural materials even if it was from Forever 21 or H&M (I still have a black suede A line skirt from F21 from several years ago) and I was determined to not let the pandemic throw me off in this kind of way.
Picking a plan
I initially picked the least expensive plan (they’ve updated their plans since I first joined last year). It included the basic perks so I figured if I wanted to get more then I would just sign up for it later, which I did (I love the updated plan). At the beginning, I was just happy to know I was getting new pieces (picked by me) every month for a nominal fee. They were having a too good to pass up Black Friday sale so right now, I have a subscription for 3 shipments per month 4 times a month, so I pick 4 pieces 3 times a month for a nominal fee.
Picking Pieces
Their selection is decent and I feel like they’re always adding new brands plus there’s new arrivals weekly. However, I’m picky and particular and sometimes that turns into being indecisive and scrolling the app way longer than I’d like to, just to pick my last 2 pieces for my shipment. Some of the super cute, trendy and stylish pieces, go quickly in certain sizes so now, I mostly visit the site when I’m close to ready to pick my next shipment.
The Reality
It is used clothing. But honestly, I do not see it as any different than thrifting & consignment, both of which I’ve done since high school. Every piece in every shipment comes to you nicely packaged, professionally dry cleaned, and on hangers. You can even contact them and work something out if something comes to you to your dissatisfaction; I haven’t had to contact customer service for this issue. I normally clean every new to me piece of clothing before I wear it (yes, even coats!). I haven’t seen anything otherwise to believe that they don’t dry clean each piece so technically, they’re cleaning my clothing for me and saving me an extra step; that’s unheard of these days.
The Benefits
I like that you’re able to heart unlimited pieces and create “shortlists” for certain occasions, seasons, vacations, photo shoots, date nights, whatever you want. I also enjoy finding out about emerging and unfamiliar established designers, especially Black designers. The other benefits include but are not limited to not having to pay a lot of money upfront for quality clothing & accessories and having the option to purchase the clothing for a (sometimes) deep discount.
I’ve received some pieces that have tags are them, which is always a bonus because it’s still been dry cleaned and that saves me from the urge to wash it before I can wear it. Who else NEEDS to wash all newly purchased clothes before wearing them?
What’s Luxe
I signed up for RTR ultimately for my own consumer principles. Eventually, I want to purchase mostly (cuz sometimes trendy pieces be too cute not to experiment) timeless, high-quality pieces with the intention of it lasting a long, long time and being wearable in many ways. Like I mentioned before, thrifting and consigning isn’t new to me and I liked the idea that I was creating a new way of buying pieces, a new shopping experience and building a more sustainable wardrobe. Waste, in general, is a huge issue around the world, and I guess to build upon thrifting and consigning, you see things like recycling, upcycling, and/or renting your wardrobe catching on more and more in the fashion industry.
What do you do to reduce your own personal waste? From recycling to upcycling to renting to thrifting, there’s something we can all do. Are you a member of RTR? How do you like it and how long have you been a member? Let me know in the comments and let’s make it a conversation.
To try RTR for yourself, you can use my code at any point RTRFAM5295270 to receive $108 off your first 2 months of a RTR 2-swap (8 piece) membership (that’s $54 a month). You can also get 1% back through Ebates using the app or browser extension. To sign up with Ebates through my referral link, click here.
Recycling, or reusing, or repurposing, your clothes and/or wardrobe is good for the planet. However, don’t reduce only to replace; read about the benefits of recycling clothes on Global Citizen.
