Style & Grace
Grace Davies started her business Dress Rental NZ five years ago and moved her showroom and workshop to 111 Newton Rd earlier this year.
Words: Anna King Shahab
Photography:
Fashion fan Grace, now 28, knew from a very young age that she wanted to start her own business, and figured that renting out dresses rather than launching her own fashion brand would come with less risk, as well as with the benefit of knowing she's "not contributing more waste to the world".
"Renting rather than buying new means more of us can experience nicer quality things at a fraction of the cost", Grace says, and adds that this year she has seen a marked leap in custom as the rising cost of living makes spending on luxuries - like a nice dress to wear on a special occasion - less feasible.
Grace's lineup of formal dresses and top-skirt combos kits out customers for all sorts of events - 21sts, weddings, corporate events, and school balls. The latter is a mainstay for the business, and is how I encountered it, courtesy of my 16 year-old daughter scouring Instagram for ball inspo. Drawn to Dress Rental NZ's enticing catalogue, and cognisant that Mum might be rather more likely to okay a $65 rental over a $300-plus new dress purchase, she asked me to accompany her for a try-on session, which is a service you can book in advance. In the small showroom with its two changing rooms, my daughter surely broke a record for trying on the most dresses in her 20 minute time slot. Customers can also book try-ons of single items by post.
Grace hand-washes items herself in between rentals, and tackles minor repairs in her workshop at the back of the showroom, as well as outsourcing more complex tasks like zip replacements.
"Every dress is different", she says, "Some require more care than others". Buying stock is a big part of the job. "I repurchase styles and brands that prove popular with customers, and I use Instagram to gauge interest in new designers, styles and colours."
Grace says when she first started out her purchasing was more trend-driven, but her focus has gradually shifted to more core classic pieces - dresses and two-piece sets that stay popular for longer. "They also tend to flatter more people", she says.
That said, she's still on the pulse of what's hot at any given time. Corset dresses have been popular for quite some time, as have halter necks. Drop waists and slip dresses are more recent trends - and this year's ball is brought to you by the colours yellow and red, and the labels Effie Katts, House of CB, Arcina Ori, Babyboo, Aje, HNTR the label, I AM DELILAH, and Manning Cartell.
"Renting rather than buying new means more of us can experience nicer quality things at a fraction of the cost", Grace says, and adds that this year she has seen a marked leap in custom as the rising cost of living makes spending on luxuries - like a nice dress to wear on a special occasion - less feasible.
Grace's lineup of formal dresses and top-skirt combos kits out customers for all sorts of events - 21sts, weddings, corporate events, and school balls. The latter is a mainstay for the business, and is how I encountered it, courtesy of my 16 year-old daughter scouring Instagram for ball inspo. Drawn to Dress Rental NZ's enticing catalogue, and cognisant that Mum might be rather more likely to okay a $65 rental over a $300-plus new dress purchase, she asked me to accompany her for a try-on session, which is a service you can book in advance. In the small showroom with its two changing rooms, my daughter surely broke a record for trying on the most dresses in her 20 minute time slot. Customers can also book try-ons of single items by post.
Grace hand-washes items herself in between rentals, and tackles minor repairs in her workshop at the back of the showroom, as well as outsourcing more complex tasks like zip replacements.
"Every dress is different", she says, "Some require more care than others". Buying stock is a big part of the job. "I repurchase styles and brands that prove popular with customers, and I use Instagram to gauge interest in new designers, styles and colours."
Grace says when she first started out her purchasing was more trend-driven, but her focus has gradually shifted to more core classic pieces - dresses and two-piece sets that stay popular for longer. "They also tend to flatter more people", she says.
That said, she's still on the pulse of what's hot at any given time. Corset dresses have been popular for quite some time, as have halter necks. Drop waists and slip dresses are more recent trends - and this year's ball is brought to you by the colours yellow and red, and the labels Effie Katts, House of CB, Arcina Ori, Babyboo, Aje, HNTR the label, I AM DELILAH, and Manning Cartell.