Masters of Scale

Rapid Response: Fashioning a greener closet, w/Rent the Runway's Jenn Hyman

Jun 10, 2021

Jenn Hyman, co-founder and CEO of Rent the Runway, shares her journey through the pandemic's challenges and the surprising rebound of her fashion rental service. She reveals how consumer habits shifted toward sustainability, making a 'closet in the cloud' not just relevant but essential. The conversation highlights innovations in operational strategies and the evolving retail landscape, focusing on convenience and the rise of secondhand shopping. Hyman emphasizes the importance of resilience, both financially and emotionally, for businesses in a post-pandemic world.

31:32

Episode guests

Jenn Hyman

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

3min

Fashion Resilience Post-Pandemic

11min

Redefining Retail: The Future of Physical Stores

5min

Transforming Fashion: The Subscription Shift

14min

From Passion to Plate: The Journey of a Plant-Based Restaurant

2min

Innovating Sustainability in Fashion

2min

Fashion became secondary amid Covid lockdowns. Sweatpants-only life pressed apparel-subscription service Rent the Runway into layoffs and furloughs. But as co-founder and CEO Jenn Hyman explains, the business saw a surprising rebound early this year, fueled by new customers in unexpected places – and by a renewed consumer focus on sustainability. Building a “closet in the cloud,” as Jenn describes Rent the Runway, may not have been an essential pandemic service, but as we move into the next phase, her experience illuminates how accelerated change is remaking the marketplace.

Read a transcript of this interview at: mastersofscale.com

Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.com/subscribe

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.