From bikes to DSLR camera gear, modern art to online fashion, industries everywhere are catching on to a shift from ownership to access. With the desire for convenience growing, and leasing now shaking hands with luxury, brands everywhere are starting to adapt. We’ve chosen to bring you four emerging companies from the UK and further afield that show this sea change.
Buzzbike the city
Returning to London after a few years of working abroad, Tom Hares was alarmed by the city’s congestion. “But I was also inspired by the number of bikes already on the road,“ he says.
Alongside friend Andy Nunn, he created Buzzbike. For a monthly fee of £29.99, Buzzbike lets you rent a great bike that’s yours full-time, everything you need to ride it, plus support like servicing with the flexibility to cancel anytime.
“We felt not enough was being done to get people onto bikes,“ says Andy. So he and Tom did it. Buzzbike now encourages its community to come together, to share across the app, and to enjoy the freedom of access living.
Parachut: in focus
Own nothing. Have everything. That’s the mantra at Parachut, a US company that makes buying and owning film and photography gear a thing of the past. Instead, the brand, which has plans to soon expand into Europe, encourages its fans to embrace sharing and borrowing.
‘OWN NOTHING. HAVE EVERYTHING. THAT’S THE MANTRA OF PARACHUT.’
It’s simple. You just browse their warehouse, which is packed with digital cameras, lenses, drones and more, add gear to your shopping cart, choose your membership plan, then later return what you’ve borrowed. It’s all done on a points system. Everyone’s a winner.
Already featured in Forbes, Wired and Entrepreneur, Parachut demonstrates how even luxury goods like high-spec camera equipment have entered the age of access.
Art for all with M.A.H
Laura Fulmine is an exceptional Interior Stylist and Creative Director based in London. Seeing the need for a pioneering platform to connect contemporary artists with art lovers, Laura created Modern Art Hire (M.A.H). But it comes with a twist.
From paintings to prints, sculpture to ceramics, M.A.H gives you access to the best art without the enormous price tags. And it’s yours for as long as your home needs it.
A drape wall sculpture for your bedroom. An abstract vase for your dining table. Or your own pop-up art collection for a special occasion. M.A.H will provide pieces to rent created by their ‘ever-evolving collection of talented, inspirational artists and makers’, whilst offering creative solutions to interior projects.
Front row fashion
Online fashion service Front Row promises to provide you with everything you wear, everywhere. The great thing is you only rent their clothes. So you can restyle whenever you fancy.
By signing up to one of their plans, you can browse their closet and choose from thousands of designer styles. You can even see what other members are renting now — to either be part of this season, or stand out and start a new trend.
So it’s clear the way we both live and work is changing. In today’s connected world, owning is far from the only option. In fact, it’s no longer the sensible option for many of us.
Leasing offers us a life of freedom. It creates conscious communities of people who want to share more and waste less. And it’s so convenient that it puts brilliant brands and the work of talented people into your hands and homes.
Register today to find out more about leasing with Vertus.