Meet Brett Staniland, a man who wears many hats. A model, a sustainbility fashion advocate and a doctor in Public Health and Phsyical activity. Brett, who appeared in ITV's Love Island last year, was the first contestant to decline the fast fashion clothes that were offered to contestants, and instead take in his own clothes and wear what he already had. We spoke to Brett about re-wearing items instead of the 'one wear rule', and why he has decided to join the #RotatingRevolution.
What do you love about renting, that you can't get with purchasing?
The connection with others! There’s a community feeling with renting that you’re a part of - people who love, respect and care for their clothes. Of course, this means we aren’t contributing to more new stuff - overproduction and overconsumption are enormous issues in the industry.
Why did you decide to join the #RotatingRevolution?
Definitely the sustainability aspect as an alternative to buying new. I’m fortunate to have decent quality clothing so it will last a long time and plenty of wears. There are pieces in my wardrobe which sometimes don’t get as much wear as I’d like, but I’m not ready to part with yet. Renting bridges that gap, and stops people buying things new when they don’t have to.
Do you believe there is a future in which we, fashion consumers, only rent?
I’m really optimistic about changing the industry, although I don’t think we will ever get away from people buying something new occasionally. I think there should be a shift though, regarding buying virgin materials - even when we buy new clothing we should only be buying old (recycled, upcycled, deadstock, repurposed etc) fabric.
What is your advice to spread the message about the benefits of renting for not only women, but also men?
Men will only ever really rent a tux their whole lives. So first is awareness, and I think with that comes decreasing the stigma around rented clothes. More adoption will also help; men can only rent clothes if there are men renting their clothes out. It needs to be hassle-free with as much of the process done by others as is possible. I think it needs to be cost-effective too, renting something for a week (like a suit for £200) shouldn’t cost the same as buying a new suit that will “do the job”, which you could probably get from the high street.
Click here to rent Brett's stylish wardrobe!
