Rental services for travel outfits are 'popular' during the holiday season.

With the long holiday period, many people have planned trips. The demand for costume rentals has therefore increased. (Photo: Provided by the interviewee)

Having been in the costume rental business for nearly 5 years, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thao Hien, owner of a shop on Hermann Gmeiner Street (Vinh City), said: “Previously, fashion rental services were only popular in some major cities. In Vinh City, it was mainly for renting ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress) and performance costumes; people didn't have the habit of renting outfits for going out.”

However, due to its convenience and cost-effectiveness, renting outfits for events and travel has become a common trend. Especially during this year's April 30th and May 1st holidays, there was a large influx of customers renting beach dresses, family matching outfits, and group uniforms.”

Beach dresses and party dresses are popular. Photo: Thanh Phuc

With the extended holiday season and tourism recovering, the demand for rental outfits for outings has increased. Besides individuals, many groups and teams are also renting the same designs in large quantities.

Despite the high volume of customers during the holiday season, rental prices for costumes remain unchanged to stimulate consumer spending; many shops even offer promotions such as a 10% discount for group rentals of 3-5 people or more, or provide free accessories.

Accordingly, the rental price for dresses, clothes, and swimwear ranges from 80,000 to 100,000 VND per item per day; accessories such as hats, glasses, and bags cost from 20,000 to 50,000 VND per item.

The accompanying accessories are also a popular choice. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Designer dresses and branded clothing specifically for parties and formal events are more expensive, ranging from 200,000 to 250,000 VND per day. Family or group uniforms, on the other hand, are cheaper, from 50,000 to 80,000 VND per day.

Ms. Tran Tu Linh, a customer, said: “Beach dresses and casual dresses are only worn once or twice a year, so spending a large sum of money to buy them is wasteful, and besides, you can't keep up with the latest trends. Meanwhile, for each trip, you only need to spend a few hundred thousand dong renting clothes to have many outfits, from swimwear and party dresses to casual dresses… For the past two years, during holidays, my friends and I have chosen to rent clothes for our trips to save money.”

These days, costume rental shops are always crowded with customers. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Besides saving money by renting clothes instead of buying new ones, social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok have recently become a rapidly growing trend. Many people, especially young people, are increasingly concerned about and meticulous about their image, and they don't want to repeat the same outfit every time they appear on their personal pages. Therefore, renting clothes has become a popular choice, further contributing to the growth of the clothing rental service.

Responding to trends, tastes, and customer needs, clothing rental shops in Vinh City have been increasingly numerous over the years, offering a wide variety of styles and prices to cater to diverse customer segments. According to unofficial statistics, there are currently around 12-15 shops specializing in renting casual wear throughout the city. To attract customers, these shops regularly update their inventory with new products and diverse fashion styles that follow current trends and are popular with customers.

These unique dresses are only suitable for going out or taking photos, so they're only used a few times; buying new ones would be very expensive. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Maxi dresses are a popular choice at beachwear rental shops; made of chiffon, silk, or lace, they are long and flowing, in solid colors or with tropical floral patterns, or ombre (gradient colors from light to dark)...

The styles are also very diverse: halter neck, puff sleeves, sweetheart neckline, off-the-shoulder, or cutout (dresses with cutouts at the bust, waist, back, and slit). In addition, there are bohemian (or boho) dresses and tops with a free-spirited, modern style, made from soft, breathable linen and other fabrics... perfect for travel and beach trips.

The shops offer a wide variety of designs and styles to cater to different customer segments. Photo: Thanh Phuc

"The rental procedure is quite simple. Customers can come directly to the store to try on clothes, or search on social media, choose a design, agree on the rental, pay a deposit, and send the recipient's information. The store will then deliver the clothes to their doorstep. Not only customers in Vinh City, but also many people from districts and towns in the province now rent clothes through online channels," said Ms. Cam Nhung, a costume rental shop owner.

This service offers many benefits to consumers, especially during the current difficult economic times.