Peer-to-Peer Fashion Rental Platform The Volte Just Landed in the UK

Earlier this summer, I had the pleasure of attending The Volte’s UK launch breakfast – an ultra-chic morning affair at Broadwick Soho.

Tucked inside one of London’s most stylish new hotels, the room was a riot of florals, good coffee, and fashion editors catching up over couture and croissants. The space couldn’t have been a more fitting setting for a brand redefining luxury fashion consumption.

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Peer-to-peer fashion rental platform The Volte has officially landed – and they’re certainly making moves. Already a household name in Australia, the platform is backed by eBay Ventures and boasts over 70,000 designer listings. Now, they’re bringing over 1,000 curated pieces to British shores via their network of “super lenders” – power users whose wardrobes are basically a Net-a-Porter wishlist come to life.

Fashion Editor Kellie Hush is co-founder of The Volte

So, what sets The Volte apart in a growing rental economy? Firstly, it’s peer-to-peer: The Volte doesn’t own any stock. “We have these incredible women that have incredible wardrobes,” said co-founder and Chief Brand & Strategy Officer Kellie Hush during the breakfast. “Some women are lending one or two dresses, and then we have other women-now super lenders-that have 30, 40, 50 items in their wardrobe.” Before launching The Volte, Hush spent 25 years in media and was editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar Australia. Now she’s bringing her rental revolution overseas, where she sees serious potential.

The Volte’s selection of dresses promises to match every glamorous occasion

And for those wondering whether Brits will buy into the rental model, Kellie has a theory. “You guys are out partying and we’ve bought the party dresses,” she laughed. “Our USP is very much occasion wear. We’re not doing jeans, blazers, day dresses or work outfits. We know that women are going out. They want something special. It’s a high-stakes event.”

Indeed, The Volte is aiming for more than just sustainability brownie points-they want to help women monetise their style. “Why keep tabs on the stock market when you can wear your assets out for dinner? Quality, style and cost-per-wear – the fundamentals when it comes to calculating your fashion investments,” Hush explained. “When customers make more conscious and quality additions to their wardrobe, they can make a return up to four times the amount of their initial purchase price via The Volte and extend the life of their garment.”

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Founded by Hush alongside Bernadette Olivier and Genevieve Hohnen, The Volte is about more than fashion. It’s about reshaping how we assign value to what we wear-and ensuring those choices make both style and financial sense. “I could very much see there was writing on the wall quite a few years ago, that there was a massive growth in the circular economy,” said Hush. “I also own a really large wardrobe and was looking at my clothes quite often thinking about what they should be doing-and they should be working harder rather than sitting there.”

The Modems founder, Natalie Salmon, had early access to The Volte during its UK launch breakfast

In Australia, The Volte’s model is already a resounding success. They’ve got over 300,000 users each month, with some super lenders making up to AU $200,000 annually. “We hope to get some guys in the UK that are earning up to $200,000 a year from renting out their wardrobe,” Hush shared. “It’s the perfect time to be here.”

And British shoppers aren’t starting from scratch. “We do have super lenders that are based in the UK already on our site,” Hush confirmed. “We’ve also brought some amazing pieces across so that Brits can access them too.”

The tech stack is evolving too. A particularly exciting innovation is The Volte’s Seamlist API-a plug-in that transforms fashion into a recurring revenue stream by embedding circularity at the point of sale. It’s already integrated with Australian department store David Jones, and the brand is eyeing UK partnerships. “We’ve had meetings with department stores and brands to directly integrate with them,” said Hush. “Every time something is bought through that API, a digital passport is created, and we can authenticate that product,” Hush told WWD.

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For now, the UK arm will stay peer-to-peer-but luxury partnerships are on the horizon. “After meeting some women who would like to become lenders, we realised we’ll probably have to have a VIP service here,” Hush admitted to WWD. “Because people don’t want to do the postage and all of that.”

Kellie Hush hosted a group of journalists and tastemakers for The Volte’s UK launch

Cultural connection also played a key role in the UK expansion. “We looked at America, we looked at other regions, but I think our hearts-Australian and loving the UK-we wanted to launch here,” she told The Modems. “I think you guys love Australians… We love fashion, we have designers who have been incredibly successful here… It’s really exciting to be at Harvey Nichols and Harrods and see all these amazing Australian brands doing incredibly well.”

As the breakfast wrapped, Hush beamed with gratitude. “To have you all here in Soho this morning, I can’t thank you enough,” she told the room. And if the fashion crowd’s response is any indication, The Volte’s UK journey is off to a flying start.