Company Description
Rent the Runway, Inc. (NASDAQ: RENT) is an electronic shopping and retail trade company that operates an e-commerce platform focused on designer apparel and accessories. Founded in 2009, Rent the Runway describes itself as the company transforming the way women get dressed by pioneering the world’s first Closet in the Cloud and a shared designer closet business model.
According to the company’s filings and public statements, Rent the Runway’s mission is to power women to feel their best every day. Since its founding, the company reports that it has built a shared designer closet with thousands of styles from hundreds of brand partners and has served approximately 3 million lifetime customers across its offerings. Its Class A common stock trades on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC under the symbol RENT.
Business Model and Core Offerings
Rent the Runway’s platform gives customers access to what it calls an Unlimited Closet through several offerings:
- Subscription – customers access the Unlimited Closet through a subscription offering referred to as “Subscription.”
- Reserve – customers can rent items a-la-carte through a reserve offering referred to as “Reserve.”
- Resale – subscribers and customers can buy products through a “Resale” offering.
The company states that its Closet in the Cloud offers a wide assortment of items for many occasions and categories, including evening wear and accessories, ready-to-wear, workwear, denim, casual, maternity, outerwear, blouses, knitwear, loungewear, jewelry, handbags, activewear and ski wear. For the six months ended July 31, 2025 and 2024, Rent the Runway reports that 89% of its total revenue was generated by subscribers while they were active or paused.
Two-Sided Discovery Engine and Brand Partnerships
Rent the Runway describes its platform as a two-sided discovery engine that connects customers and brand partners. Customers use the Unlimited Closet to discover new brands and styles for different occasions, seasons, moods and price points. Brand partners, in turn, use the platform to reach what the company characterizes as a large, engaged community and to gain data insights about demand patterns and garment lifecycle.
The company states that it sources virtually all of its products directly from or in partnership with brand partners, which include many names in the fashion industry. According to a company brand survey referenced in its registration statement, a significant portion of brand partners report working with Rent the Runway to reach new customers and deepen awareness of their brands. Over more than a decade of operations, the company reports fostering long-term relationships with these partners.
Technology, Data and Logistics Platform
Rent the Runway highlights that its Closet in the Cloud is built on a platform that combines brand, data, logistics and technology. In its SEC filings, the company describes:
- a proprietary operating system that pairs software with infrastructure and hardware,
- expertise in vertically integrated just-in-time reverse logistics and garment science to support multi-year monetization of garments, and
- a custom platform that supports its consumer-facing offerings on its website and app.
The company states that it captures data on customers and products and uses this information to personalize styles and fit for customers, provide insights to brand partners, and support its own business decisions.
Customer Value Proposition
Rent the Runway emphasizes that customers using its services can access an Unlimited Closet while saving money and time and reducing clothing waste. In its filings, the company notes that its average subscriber wears clothes with a designer retail value that is a multiple of what is paid for a monthly subscription on an annualized basis. The assortment is positioned to cover everyday wear, workwear, special occasions and other lifestyle needs.
Capital Structure and Recent Recapitalization
Rent the Runway has described a multi-year corporate strategy transformation focused in part on its capital structure. On October 28, 2025, the company completed recapitalization transactions that, according to its Form 8-K and related press releases, significantly reduced its outstanding indebtedness, extended the maturity of remaining term loans to October 28, 2029, and provided additional capital through new term loans and a rights offering. As part of these transactions, a lender converted a substantial portion of existing debt into Class A common stock, and an investor group contributed additional cash and backstopped a rights offering.
The company has also filed registration statements on Form S-1 relating to a rights offering and the resale of Class A common stock by certain selling stockholders. These filings describe Rent the Runway as a smaller reporting company and an emerging growth company under applicable SEC rules.
Strategic Focus and Transformation Plan
In its earnings releases and filings, Rent the Runway discusses a multi-year transformation plan. Key elements described by the company include:
- investing in inventory, including what it has called the largest inventory acquisition in its history,
- using capital-light models to acquire inventory, such as revenue share programs and exclusive design collections,
- focusing on customer loyalty and retention, including initiatives framed as a return to “customer-obsessed” roots,
- enhancing the product experience with features like personalized home screens and back-in-stock notifications, and
- expanding organic and community-driven marketing tactics.
Across multiple quarters, the company has highlighted metrics such as active subscribers, total subscribers, engagement with new inventory, and subscription net promoter scores as indicators related to this strategy.
Corporate Governance and Exchange Listing
Rent the Runway, Inc. is incorporated in Delaware and identifies itself under primary Standard Industrial Classification code 7389. Its principal executive offices are located in Brooklyn, New York. The company’s Class A common stock is registered under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and listed on Nasdaq under the symbol RENT. The company has noted in filings that it is an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company, and has described changes in its board of directors and governance in connection with the 2025 recapitalization transactions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What does Rent the Runway, Inc. do?
Rent the Runway, Inc. operates an e-commerce platform that allows customers to subscribe, rent a-la-carte, or buy designer apparel and accessories. The company refers to its offering as a Closet in the Cloud and a shared designer closet, with items spanning evening wear, ready-to-wear, workwear, casual wear, maternity, outerwear, knitwear, loungewear, jewelry, handbags, activewear and ski wear.
How does Rent the Runway generate revenue?
According to the company’s SEC filings, Rent the Runway generates revenue primarily from subscribers using its Subscription offering, with additional revenue from a-la-carte rentals through Reserve and from product sales through its Resale offering. For the six months ended July 31, 2025 and 2024, 89% of total revenue was generated by subscribers while they were active or paused.
What is the “Closet in the Cloud” and “Unlimited Closet” concept?
The Closet in the Cloud is the company’s term for its online shared designer closet. The Unlimited Closet refers to the access customers receive through the Subscription offering, allowing them to use a rotating selection of designer items sourced from hundreds of brand partners for different occasions and categories.
Who are Rent the Runway’s brand partners?
Rent the Runway states that it works with hundreds of brand partners, including many names in the fashion industry. It sources virtually all products directly from or in partnership with these brands. Specific brand names and the nature of these relationships are described in the company’s filings and presentations, and the company emphasizes that partners use the platform to reach new customers and gain data insights.
How many customers and subscribers has Rent the Runway served?
In its registration statements, the company reports that it has served approximately 3 million lifetime customers across its offerings. It also discloses subscriber metrics such as total subscribers and active subscribers as of specific dates, including 185,102 total subscribers and 146,373 active subscribers as of July 31, 2025.
What is the significance of the 2025 recapitalization transactions?
The recapitalization transactions completed on October 28, 2025, as described in Form 8-K and related documents, reduced Rent the Runway’s outstanding indebtedness to $120 million, extended debt maturity to 2029, and provided additional capital through new term loans and a rights offering. A lender converted debt in excess of $100 million into Class A common stock, and an investor group agreed to purchase unsubscribed shares in the rights offering.
What risks does Rent the Runway highlight in its filings?
The company’s SEC filings and earnings releases include risk factor discussions covering topics such as its ability to drive growth, competition in the fashion industry, macroeconomic conditions, tariffs and trade policies, customer acquisition and retention, technology and logistics dependencies, internal control over financial reporting, regulatory compliance, relationships with brand partners and third-party service providers, debt obligations, and its capital structure.
Is Rent the Runway still a public company and where is its stock listed?
Yes. In its 2025 press releases and Form 8-K filings, Rent the Runway states that it continues to operate as a public company. Its Class A common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC under the ticker symbol RENT.
What types of investors might be interested in RENT stock?
Investors who follow electronic shopping, retail trade, consumer subscription models, or companies that combine e-commerce with data and logistics platforms may review Rent the Runway. Any investment decision should be based on the company’s SEC filings, risk factors, and individual financial objectives.
Where can I find official information about Rent the Runway’s performance?
Official information is available in the company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including Forms 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, S-1 and proxy statements, as well as earnings press releases referenced in those filings.