Suit Wear Rental Case Study | Zoa Clothing Rental Software

How It Started

Jack Waldouck had always wanted to launch a fashion line, however he was put off the idea of adding more unnecessary clothing production to the world and joining an already saturated market.

It was during the pandemic when conversations of his sister’s wedding (and the difficulty they encountered when arranging the groomsmen suit fittings) that the idea for Rathbones Tailor, a men’s suit rental platform, was born.

“We had to drive two hours to a good suit shop. Surely an online offering would negate a bunch of these inefficiencies”

The inspiration behind the Rathbones Tailor brand came from wanting to give customers the convenience and simplicity of an online store combined with the feeling of being looked after by an actual tailor (through level of advice and customer service). So much so that the customer begins to consider there to be a degree of ownership and pride, and the relationship evolves from ‘the tailor’ to ‘my tailor’.

“There is something about sharing a practitioner with a celebrity or royalty. The mythical figure of Rathbone is the celebrity we want our customers to feel they share their tailor with. We want them to feel as if it’s by Rathbone’s own tailor that they are being looked after.”

With the help of the Zoa onboarding team Jack launched his online rental business within weeks. He was supported with designing his brand from scratch, advice on pricing and even marketing.

“The Zoa team are great to work with, they are very responsive, knowledgeable and respond with the advantage of experience in the rental space. They have been there to offer guidance throughout the journey of Rathbones Tailor, helping us to achieve month on month increases in sales as well as helping to implement measuring techniques for the growth of the business which will prove invaluable as the business grows.”

Jack Waldouk, Founder & CEO

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The Launch

The result, a slick, easy-to-use suit rental website for the modern man. Today, Rathbones Tailor offers suits, tuxedos and tailcoats to hire for all formal occasions with prices starting from £100 for 8-day rentals.

“The onboarding process was straightforward. What was great was the customisation ability of the platform. The Zoa platform itself is very clean and clear and easy to use with plenty of control over the front end of the website rather than having to wait for a coder or website builder to enact changes.”

Each suit for hire has been stylishly curated by Jack, with the aim of ensuring all customers effortlessly look great for their formal do.

“I want people to look good in their rental suits, not to look like they are indeed renting. A well fitted suit can give you great confidence. An ill fitting suit can make you feel an imposter.”

Since launching in May, Rathbones Tailor has seen average monthly revenue growth of over 460% mainly driven by digital marketing, influencer and event partnerships.

The Future

The long term goal for Rathbones Tailor is for it to be the go-to not only for suit rental but also sartorial elegance education throughout the UK.

“As well as our current core collection you will see us hosting a myriad of designers and their suits. The brand will continue to have a premium and luxury feel so a Tom Ford suit won’t look out of place on the site.”

While Jack is ambitious in his growth strategy for Rathbones Tailor, his core brand purpose keeps him grounded and ensures his customers have the best experience time and time again;

“As long as the customer is treated the same when hiring the suit as he would be if buying the thing new, you can’t go far wrong. Whatever their reason to rent, whether it be financial or ethical, they want to look their best when attending their event. Just as much as The Prince of Wales does.”

Visit Rathbones Tailor here →

If you’re interested in hearing more about how you can launch your rental business with Zoa get in touch at sharebetter@zoarental.com