While Florence’s sustainable fashion landscape has many great secondhand stores, clothing rental has also emerged as an elegant contemporary solution for one-off, more formal events that also contributes towards reducing textile waste. Whether you’re attending your fifth Florentine wedding this spring, have been invited to a last-minute occasion or just fancy the experience of wearing a chic designer dress without the hefty cost, renting garments allows you to experience luxury fashion when and where you desire. It also saves room in your closet or, in the case of travellers, a great deal of luggage space.
Dress rental stores in Florence
If you’re after a tuxedo, Sogno di Sposa is an established occasion-wear store on via Pisana in Florence, which offers in-person appointments for men’s black tie rentals. Appointments can be made online.
Another go-to is Sartoria Antonietta, whose core business is theatre costumes, in via Baccio Bandinelli in the Isolotto area.
Online-only dress hire
Atelier Emé Rental is an online-only formalwear service for special occasions. The booking process is simple: select an item, choose your size, the amount of days you would like it for, and the rental will be delivered to your doorstep! If your dress happens to be too long, reversible hemming is permitted. Once the rental period is over, pop the outfit into the packaging provided and wait for the courier to come by and collect it. While the service only operates online, you can see some of the dresses for yourself at the Florence store in via de’ Rondinelli in Florence.
Milan-based Drexcode is a nationwide virtual dress rental portal. With an extensive collection of options, including pieces from Alexander McQueen, Gucci and Dior, the easy-to-use and user-friendly online booking system means that rentals are effortlessly delivered and returned via post. Drexcode even offers a professional virtual stylist service to help you choose the perfect dress for your occasion.
With options available in Florence and Italy, rental serves as a stylish and sustainable option that creates new life for clothing, reducing fast fashion and contributing to the circular flow of fashion.