Urban Outfitters, Inc. has announced the launch of Nuuly, a women’s apparel, subscription rental service. Customers can now join a waitlist to be notified for summer 2019 launch.
Nuuly is a new way to experience clothing — a monthly subscription service with a robust offering of URBN’s own brands, third-party labels and one-of-a-kind vintage pieces for rent via a custom-built, digital platform. Nuuly subscribers will select their styles each month, wear them as often as they like, then swap into new styles next month, infusing freshness and variety into their wardrobes; and if they fall in love with something they’re renting, they can purchase it. Subscriptions will cost $88 for one, 6-item box per month, offering subscribers on average over $800 worth of initial retail value per box, for a tenth of the price.
Over the years, URBN has observed several trends impacting consumer’s shopping behaviors. Interest in sharing-economy platforms and recurring subscription relationships has grown across industries. In apparel, the millennial consumer, in particular, is seeking out platforms that provide novelty, variety and breadth, while also supporting sustainability. Nuuly seeks to further these shifting behaviors by giving subscribers access to a wide assortment of current fashion at a substantially lower cost-per-wear than retail, solving the paradox of a millennial’s quest for constant fashion newness alongside the desire for a more sustainable lifestyle.
“Since our founding in 1970, our company philosophy has been to give our customers the creative, compelling shopping experience they desire,” said Richard A. Hayne, CEO and chairman, Urban Outfitters Inc. “Nuuly is the next step in that mission, and with it, we set out to be the subscription fashion leader by offering an unmatched curation of aspirational brands, coupled with extraordinary value,” finished Mr. Hayne
Nuuly will stock over 1,000 styles at launch, with plans to add over 100 new styles a week and triple style count by year’s end. The assortment will span lifestyle categories, offering everything from premium denim and everyday dresses to seasonal outerwear and coveted vintage pieces, with options in sizes 00-26, including substantial selections of petite and plus-size apparel. A sampling of the initial assortment includes:
A broad offering of URBN’s own brands: Anthropologie, Free People & Urban Outfitters
A curated selection of hundreds of rare vintage items
Fashion & streetwear offerings from global athletic brands: Reebok, Fila & Champion
Denim brands: Levi’s, Wrangler, DL1961, Paige, AYR, Citizens of Humanity, One Teaspoon & AGOLDE
A curated — yet expansive — assortment from hundreds of contemporary brands and designer labels including: Universal Standard, Naadam, LoveShackFancy, Chufy, Gal Meets Glam, Ronny Kobo & Anna Sui
URBN believes there is a large opportunity to re-shape the $120 billion women’s apparel market in the US and is committed to Nuuly’s success. A dedicated team of engineers, product managers and data scientists are developing the complex technology needed to power all aspects of the user experience, with a focus on data driving many aspects of the business. A dedicated warehouse and fulfillment center outside Philadelphia houses state-of-the-art laundry equipment operated by veteran laundry technicians. Nuuly has also invested in dedicated marketing, merchandising and creative teams to curate an aspirational lifestyle experience for our creative-minded target customers.
“URBN enters the rental landscape with many strategic advantages,” said David Hayne, chief digital Officer, URBN, and Nuuly president. “We bring our distinctive brands and their proprietary assortments, millions of existing customer relationships with rich preference histories, long-standing brand partnerships, a broad point-of-sale distribution network, as well as deep, operational know-how and investable capital. When paired with our proven ability to develop creative lifestyle brands, we believe Nuuly is uniquely positioned to deliver the dynamic subscription rental experience the modern customer desires.”
