Danish fashion brand GANNI, remakes and rents garments to keep their designs at their highest value.
What they do
GANNI, a ready-to-wear fashion brand based in Copenhagen, has 27 stores across Europe, and the United States, and it’s available via 400 wholesalers worldwide. Founded in 2000 by gallerist Frans Truelsen, since 2009 it has been run by husband-and-wife duo Nicolaj Reffstrup and Ditte Reffstrup.
GANNI recognises the inherent contradiction between the current fashion industry that thrives off newness and consumption, and the concept of sustainability. They focus on responsibility instead, taking accountability for each product that they put on the market. As part of these commitments, GANNI launched the rental platform GANNI Repeat, as a first trial in Denmark in 2019. The service is now available also in the UK and in the US. Key product categories available via the rental platform include dresses, shirts, tops, swimwear, outerwear and knitwear.
In January 2020, they introduced #GANNI202020 Kiosk for Copenhagen Fashion Week show and as part of a collaborative project commissioned to create reworked products from GANNI previous collections. The Danish brand also collaborated with denim brand Levi’s in 2020, to create a rental-only collection of three denim pieces called ‘Love Letter’, all crafted from vintage Levi’s and repurposed denim. GANNI’s last collaboration in 2021 with Nanna Bernholm, obtained from reworking existing fabrics from previous GANNI collections, is also only available via the GANNI Repeat platform. Therefore, those that want access to those innovative designs are incentivised to try rental.
Recently, GANNI has continued to develop collaborations aimed at keeping their designs at their highest value. In 2021, they partnered with luxury resale site Vestiaire Collective to work on keeping products in circulation together.
Why is it an example of the circular economy?
Around 70% of the fashion industry’s emissions come from upstream activities, such as materials, production, and processing. New business models that effectively keep clothes in use provide an opportunity to address this.
By reworking garments from previous collections into a range of new remade items, GANNI is able to reduce virgin inputs and avoid the associated negative impacts of production. They avoid new materials being created in the first place. GANNI is using remade fabric in various collaborations, including with Nanna Bernholm and Levi’s.
Rental platform GANNI Repeat allows customers to experience redesigned garments, and to increase the time clothes are worn. It also avoids the purchase of new clothes.
GANNI has an approach toward sourcing materials from safe, recycled and renewable inputs that are the least harmful to people and the environment. GANNI design and sourcing teams have managed to use organic, certified and recycled fabrics up to 80% of total inputs sourced in fall 2021, and implemented their circular design training.
What are the benefits?
Users benefits
GANNI styles are created to be versatile and offer the wearer multiple styling options, including detachable collars and adjustable waistlines. Appealing to younger generations, every garment made of repurposed fabrics will represent a unique piece of clothing for the user. Each piece will also come with a special tag, which customers can scan to open up information on the garment’s design and history. The full rental price is inclusive of cleaning and insurance, thus allowing the user to not worry about the aftercare.
Environmental benefits
With GANNI Repeat, customers rethink the way they shop and use their wardrobe, by renting clothes and therefore reducing waste. By remaking fabrics into new pieces, the process allows GANNI to prevent carbon emissions from reworking materials. These models can significantly contribute towards environmental goals to tackle waste, pollution, climate change, and biodiversity.
Business benefits
According to Future Market Insights, the online rental clothing market will reach USD 1.8 billion in 2021 and rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11% between now and 2031. GANNI has been able to enhance the tailoring with repurposed fabrics and construction, designing innovative quality pieces to be created for the same cost, whilst enabling new revenue streams per product.
How it works in detail
Rental service GANNI Repeat is available via the online platform or at the GANNI New York store, where the user can come and drop the garment off within four days of delivery or pick-up dates. In Denmark and the UK, shipping is included in the rental price, while in the US, shipping is separate from the rental price and is a fee of USD 9.95.
Users can rent from one to three weeks, or reserve their piece of clothing to be rented in the future, by choosing their rent start and end date. Rental period can be extended, if necessary.
All rentals will be delivered in RePack reusable packaging, and all returned items will be carefully checked and treated following strict cleaning methods. Once returned, the pieces will be professionally washed meeting Nordic Swan label’s standards, and stored for at least 72 hours before being resent out to the next customer.
Renters can unlock the history of each piece and discover who has rented out the piece before them.
At the end of the rental period, the user will only be able to buy out the piece if someone else has not already requested to rent it, although this is not applicable for capsule collection with Levi’s, available via rental only.
In the GANNI x Levi’s collection launched in August 2020, three staple pieces were showcased – 501 straight cut jeans, a button-down shirt and a shirt dress.
With all pieces made from repurposed and recycled vintage denim, rental prices for the collection started from USD 55 per week for up to three weeks.
Rented through Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, the collection was available to rent in the UK, Denmark, and the US. It was supported by a digital experience using innovative NFC technology in partnership with connected experience agency SharpEnd, who delivered a ‘post tap’ curated experience through the NFC chip embedded in the back-patch of each piece.
Collection included videos and Love Letters from GANNI creative director, Ditte Reffstrup, exclusive content from the global campaign shoots, style inspiration, and content from previous renters.
The second collection launched in 2021 features another 14-piece ready-to-wear made of cottonised hemp and, following their ambition to increase clothing use, exclusively available via rental only.
Published 23 November 2021
