Condé Nast just one-upped Nike for the title of “Employer of the Month” — kind of. Beginning on Tuesday, employment at the media powerhouse includes a (partially subsidized) unlimited subscription to Rent the Runway. Instead of paying $139 per month, staffers at Vogue, Vanity Fair and all those other glossies can fork over a mere $90 to “select three items, keep each piece as long as [they] want, and exchange anytime.” The discounted rate applies for the next six months.
The idea is to offset the cost of shopping for work attire when there’s a high likelihood you’ll run into Anna Wintour or this month’s cover girl on your way to the office. (We assume the measure is also at least partly related to the fact that Condé’s parent company, Advance Publications Inc., invested a considerable sum of money in the style startup back in 2014.)
“Oftentimes women end up having to spend a lot more on fashion than men do,” explained AJ Nicholas, vice president of brand marketing at Rent the Runway. “Men can get away with wearing the same suits and shirts over and over again, and spend less on dry cleaning. If you’re a woman you can’t have that uniform.”
We’re fairly certain even the men at Condé would be ostracized for such a fashion infraction. Has Hamish Bowles ever worn the same suit twice in a week? However, AJ does make a valid point about prohibitive wardrobe costs, one that’s formed the basis for talks between Rent the Runway and other prospective corporate partners.
Would you rather put your $540 towards one designer item you’d have forever (or a round-trip flight to Miami, or a million other things) or a subscription that allowed you to temporarily amp up your wardrobe? Sound off in the comments below.
[ via Fast Company ]
