You would think that a worldwide pandemic that has shuttered people indoors would mean that Rent the Runway subscribers wouldn’t feel the need to rent designer clothing. And yet women still are, as New Jersey and Texas warehouse workers for the company have to continue to fulfill orders.
In a damning piece for the Huff Post, reporter Jesselyn Cook interviewed 22 former and current employees and contractors about how expendable they feel within the company. The company has found a loophole to declare itself an essential business, relying on its status as a “fulfillment center” under New Jersey and Texas state executive orders for businesses to close. What’s most baffling is that women are still even renting clothes at all, even though the company gave subscribers the option to pause the service. The piece links to an incredibly tone-deaf Refinery29 piece about how women are still renting clothing, with one quoted as hoping employees at the company are being treated “like royalty.”