Who Started The Rntr. Revolution?
Meet Shanya Suppasiritad the founder and director of the new rental platform.
Anyone who meets Shanya is instantly drawn to her infectious energy and stand out outfits. From a young age, Shanya was in love with fashion. Clothing was a way for her to express herself and tell the world who she truly is. To her, it was somewhat of an armour, a way to shield herself from the pressure to meet a certain beauty standard that she felt growing up in Thailand.
After moving to Melbourne in her early 20’s with her advertising degree she began her fashion journey. On this path, she became a fashion stylist and was in paradise taking people shopping, and transforming and empowering them using the power of clothing.
Fast forward to 2020 and Shanya has founded Rntr., a platform that is reshaping the fashion industry and making us rethink how we shop. Rntr. is building a digital library for fashion, where instead of having to own all the clothing you want to wear, you can borrow them and then return the items when you are done using them.
How did you end up founding your own company?
In 2015 I watched the documentary ‘True Cost’ - I was left in tears and utterly confused. I didn’t know that the industry that I loved so much and gave me so much in return was so toxic. I realised that I can’t just keep empowering women on this side of the world while completely ignoring the women who make the clothes.
I became aware that if I can educate my clients to consume better then I am already making a difference. There is an expectation from society to constantly change outfits and this is increased by social media, fast fashion brands and the afterpay services. Fashion brands encourage consumption to make more money.
That’s when I realised I need to find a way to better supply those quick and short term demands that will also benefit brands.
Having a startup is a big commitment, there must be a huge passion that drives you to keep going, can you tell us what it is?
I think it’s because I’m a problem solver, when I see something that needs fixing I don’t wait for anyone else to do it. Especially a problem that affects me directly, I won’t give up until it’s fixed. In this case, I believe it comes down to wanting access to more clothes without the guilt.
What was the idea that led you to start Rntr.?
Sharing clothes has existed since the beginning of time but it’s often limited to close circles like family and friends. We need to create a system that embraces the concept on a larger scale and is beneficial to everyone - people, planet and profit.
How does Rntr. fit into the conventional fashion model?
The current business model in the fashion industry is so dated, we have an opportunity to use resources and technology to improve the way we consume things. In order to change the foundation of how we consume fashion, brands need to come on board. It has to remain profitable for brands and easy to use for consumers in order for it to work.
There are big challenges facing the fashion industry, how do you see the role of Rntr.s in this?
You can see the industry is trying really hard to clean itself up. There are so many startups that provide solutions for literally every aspect of the industry but change takes time.
Rntr. is here to help brands to step into the circular economy and enable brands to slow down the rate of constant producing clothes to feed the demands, and equip them with a long term business model. Secondly, the user-led products will raise consumers awareness and create behavioural change.
There’s a number of rental platforms around, what makes Rntr. different from the rest?
I think when people think of rental, it's still the idea of special occasion dressing or borrowing something you can’t afford. Our aim is to make rental a normal part of everyday life. We want to own 20%-30% of your rotation wardrobe, so the consumer can just have access to it when they choose to. We design our products to be able to work with any brands and build the infrastructure so that the accessibility of those clothes is within reach for most people.
Why do you think so many people are choosing to rent clothing over buying it new?
I think the biggest reason at the moment is because they can’t afford to buy that item or only want to wear it once or twice. But you can see that a growing number of consumers are asking for a more sustainable way to consume from their favourite brands. Millennials and Gen Z are leading this behavioural change, they are growing up with a sharing economy and are very aware of the fact that sharing resources is the way of the future.
What is your proudest achievement in Rntr. and in life so far?
I’m most proud to be connected with all the people that I have met along the way. Life is all made up of little moments and I think people are what makes it interesting.
For Rntr. I am so thankful to the team that I have backing me. Every person in my team chooses to believe in what we do and work really hard to see it through. I’m very proud to work, learn and share my success alongside them.
What can we expect to see from RNTR in the next few months and in the next year?
Definitely more brand partnerships - we are currently working with so many incredible brands to bring their vision to life and help them step closer to their sustainable goals.
To stay connected with our Rntr. community on our social channels just scroll down a bit more.
