Urban Outfitters will introduce Nuuly, a women’s apparel subscription rental service, this summer. Each month, shoppers will have access to a customizable box with six items that can be worn as often as they like before being swapped for new styles.
Nuuly initially will include a selection of more than 1,000 choices. Urban Outfitters plans to add at least 100 new styles a week to reach 3,000 choices by the end of 2019. The assortment will span multiple brands:
- In-house selections from Anthropologie, Free People and Urban Outfitters;
- Hundreds of curated vintage items;
- Fashion and streetwear offerings from Reebok, Fila and Champion;
- Denim from Levi’s, Wrangler, DL1961, Paige, AYR, Citizens of Humanity, One Teaspoon and AGOLDE; and
- An assortment of products from designer labels including Universal Standard, Naadam, LoveShackFancy, Chufy, Gal Meets Glam, Ronny Kobo and Anna Sui.
Subscriptions will cost $88 per month and each box will contain more than $800 worth of clothes on average. Shoppers who like a particular item will have the option to purchase it.
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Urban Outfitters expects the new service to appeal to Millennial shoppers who keep an eye on shifting fashion trends and have an interest in a more sustainable lifestyle. The company will leverage its existing customer relationships, brand partnerships and broad distribution network to help get Nuuly off the ground.
The retailer also is making the capital investments required to ensure the subscription service’s success. The company has a dedicated team of engineers, product managers and data scientists developing backend systems. Additionally, Urban Outfitters will use a dedicated warehouse and fulfilment center outside of Philadelphia with state-of-the-art laundry equipment to keep rented clothes reusable for as long as possible.
