You may soon be able to buy a piece of Rent the Runway–even if you can’t actually buy a dress off the site.
According to WWD, who interviewed Rent the Runway cofounder and chief executive officer (and former Fashionista contributor!) Jennifer Hyman, the company is “likely” to go public sometime in the future.
“Possibly the world’s sexiest 50-something” Carine Roitfeld gets a hefty spread in Net-a-Porter’s shoppable online mag The Edit. {Net-a-Porter}
And this is why we love Harry Brant. The 16-year-old shares some in-depth info about his cystic acne regime, jogging while wearing Saran Wrap, vacation makeup, looking luminous, tinting his lower lashes, and listening to e-books in the shower. {Into the Gloss}
After notoriously leaving her two-decade-long Vogue UK posish in 2011, Topshop creative director Kate Phelan will return to the glossy part-time–while still retaining her title at the high street giant. Like a boss. {Telegraph}
Rent the Runway is giving away a “dream” prom to one lucky Hurricane Sandy-affected high school–including designer dresses, hair and makeup, and a surprise celeb performance. Enter here… {Rent the Runway}
Jenn Hyman is the CEO and co-founder of Rent the Runway. Before that she went to Harvard Business School (and Harvard for undergrad too, NBD). She’s writing a column for us that we’re calling Fashionpreneur. In it she’ll dole out advice and lessons learned on everything from raising funds, branding yourself, sales and generally managing Read more →
Jenn Hyman is the CEO and co-founder of Rent the Runway. Before that she went to Harvard Business School (and Harvard for undergrad too, NBD). She’s writing a column for us that we’re calling Fashionpreneur. In it she’ll dole out advice and lessons learned on everything from raising funds, branding yourself, sales and generally managing Read more →
Jenn Hyman is the CEO and co-founder of Rent the Runway. Before that she went to Harvard Business School (and Harvard for undergrad too, NBD). She’s writing a column for us that we’re calling Fashionpreneur. In it she’ll dole out advice and lessons learned on everything from raising funds, branding yourself, sales and generally managing a business. She’s also taking your questions.
YOU are a brand.
But, you already know that. You untag yourself from the less flattering shots on Facebook (you and me both baby!), you cultivate aspirational boards that reflect the style you wish you had on Pinterest and you buy clothes that sends an overt message of who you are (or who you wish you were!). You heard it here first—in order to get and sometimes even to keep a job, you must create your personal brand. Think of your brand as “THE THREE WORDS YOU WANT YOUR EMPLOYER TO BELIEVE ABOUT YOU.” Let’s break it down…
Last year saw a major influx of new fashion-focused tech startups. With the early success of pioneers like Gilt Groupe and Ideeli, an industry that has typically been slow to embrace new technology has spawned a burgeoning community of game-changing ecommerce sites, mobile apps and social networking and discovery platforms. And with no shortage of new ideas or interest from financial backers, this influx shows no signs of slowing down in 2012–and we think that’s very exciting.
With new start-ups popping up almost daily, we set out to discover which ones are doing it right, how they’re all being funded, and what 2012 holds for the fashion tech biz.
Jenn Hyman is the CEO and co-founder of Rent the Runway. Before that she went to Harvard Business School (and Harvard for undergrad too, NBD). She’s writing a column for us that we’re calling Fashionpreneur. In it she’ll dole out advice and lessons learned on everything from raising funds, branding yourself, sales and generally managing a business. She’s also taking your questions.
To schmooze is to network–to ooze around the room, making pithy, ridiculously insightful and sometimes funny (but always appropriate) remarks and inspire an immediate love fest. A great schmoozer gets the job, the money, the guy and likely makes a few new friends while she’s at it.
Let’s be real, I am a terrible schmoozer. Seriously, terrible! I’ve been known to ask complete strangers who I am supposed to be networking with and whether I can set them up with my sister. I’m not great at small talk and I break uncomfortable silences by telling embarrassing stories about my childhood (and this all is without alcohol). I often stare in awe at those rare ducklings who can ‘join the sorority’ before they’ve even received a bid.
So what’s a non-schmoozer to do in a super schmoozy world? I’ve seen the most success with playing to my strengths and being myself. Some examples:
Jenn Hyman is the CEO and co-founder of Rent the Runway. Before that she went to Harvard Business School (and Harvard for undergrad too, NBD). She’s writing a column for us that we’re calling Fashionpreneur. In it she’ll dole out advice and lessons learned on everything from raising funds, branding yourself, sales and generally managing a business. She’s also taking your questions.
For most of the country, ‘tis the season to take a vacation. The week between Christmas and New Year’s is reliably one of the most travelled weeks of the year and many offices fleetingly feel like ghost town central, prompting anyone who considered taking their two weeks in the summer (Greek islands! Amalfi!) to change course. Despite the upcoming vacation season, the American workforce is exhausted, overworked, and underpaid (yes, I’m kvetching a bit!) and often not entirely refreshed after that holiday vacation. It’s my belief that we all must learn how to REALLY take a vacation so that life isn’t just about a countdown between vacations.
Some lessons I’ve learned:
Jenn Hyman is the CEO and co-founder of Rent the Runway. Before that she went to Harvard Business School (and Harvard for undergrad too, NBD). She’s writing a column for us that we’re calling Fashionpreneur. In it she’ll dole out advice and lessons learned on everything from raising funds, branding yourself, sales and generally managing a business. She’s also taking your questions.
Rule number one of entrepreneurship is that the second you tell someone that you are thinking about starting a company, the floodgates of advice will open. Suddenly, friends, distant relatives and colleagues will frame themselves as experts on just about anything to create the opportunity to give you their opinion. This all stems from rule number one about people which is that they love to hear themselves talk (in fact, in any negotiation or interview, the person that speaks most believes that she has the upper hand). Since I had the idea for Rent the Runway nearly three years ago, my co-founder Jenny Fleiss and I have solicited and received lots of advice. The trick is the ability to decipher good advice from bad. So, in the efforts of saving all of you the trouble, I thought it best to list some of the very best and very worst advice I’ve received.
Jenn Hyman is the CEO and co-founder of Rent the Runway. Before that she went to Harvard Business School (and Harvard for undergrad too, NBD). She’s writing a column for us that we’re calling Fashionpreneur. In it she’ll dole out advice and lessons learned on everything from raising funds, branding yourself, sales and generally managing a business. She’s also taking your questions.
A few months ago I read a post from Ben Lerer, the CEO of Thrillist that fundamentally changed how I interview. If you’re too lazy to read it, here’s a summary: when Ben started his now very successful company, he was too easy on candidates and hired anyone who showed enthusiasm for Thrillist. As a young leader, Ben lacked confidence for why someone would want to risk it all and work for him. Since then, he’s done a 180 and looks for people who are willing to sacrifice to be on his team.
As CEO and co-founder of Rent the Runway, I often find myself in the position of interviewer, and it is a role I take very seriously. I never imagined two years ago when starting Rent the Runway that the vast majority of my time would be spent on recruiting talent, inspiring and coaching our team and creating a culture that our team is proud of.
Rent the Runway has an exciting new addition to their already amazing inventory of current season designer goods (and makeup). In addition to the latest from Proenza, Calvin Klein, Richard Chai and more, members will now be able to rent designer vintage.
In partnership with vintage retailer What Goes Around Comes Around, they’re starting this new category off with a bang by offering accessories from one of the most sought after labels for vintage: Chanel. Starting today, you can pick from a drool-worthy selection of vintage Chanel handbags, necklaces earrings and bracelets that Rachel Zoe would die over–and you can actually afford. While there’s not necessarily anything wrong with wearing a head to toe off the runway look, we always love a little vintage thrown in, which is why we think this is a great idea.
We stopped by the launch party to check out Rent the Runway’s new offerings at What Goes Around Comes Around last night and they are good. Here’s all the info on what’s available and how much it will cost you to rent (they all sound like steals if you ask us):
Jenn Hyman is the CEO and co-founder of Rent the Runway. Before that she went to Harvard Business School (and Harvard for undergrad too, NBD). She’s writing a column for us that we’re calling Fashion-preneur. In it she’ll dole out advice and lessons learned on everything from raising funds, branding yourself, sales and generally managing a business. She’s also taking your questions.
Fashionista asked me to begin what will be a regular column with something that I think is applicable to every dreamer, future entrepreneur and job holder out there: How to ask for money.
First, why me? Well, I founded Rent the Runway with my close friend Jenny Fleiss, and over the past two and a half years, we’ve asked for and received a lot of money–$32MM to be exact, from some top venture capitalists. More importantly, we asked for money as women in our 20s, without much experience in running a business (especially one in fashion), but with a lot of passion for following our dreams, smarts to iterate our idea, and humility for how much we both had to learn. Fast forward two years and RenttheRunway.com has grown to a community of millions of young women who are able to rent designer dresses and accessories before special events in their lives, fall in love with new brands and feel their best everyday.
So back to the money. There is a lot of money out there–way more than there are great ideas and ambitious people who will go after their dreams, without fear of failure. I believe that asking for money should have the same rules as asking for anything else in your life. Follow these three rules and you should be off to a good start.
