Trent's new Barcelona store: Redefining fashion consumption through rental
Madrid- While fashion rental thrives in established markets like the US and UK, it's still emerging in Spain. However, growing consumer interest in sustainability and flexibility is creating opportunities for businesses seeking to diversify.
Trent, an online platform founded by Laia Cuscó and Alejandro Assens in 2022, has gained stylist attention. Its new Barcelona physical store marks a shift in Spanish fashion consumption, emphasizing access over ownership and stylishness over accumulation.
Designed by p0 studio, the 470-square-meter, four-zone Trent space functions as an archive, gallery, showroom, and cultural hub. Its editorialized approach aims to educate, inspire, and transform fashion consumption. "We want to educate a new generation on how to consume fashion responsibly, without sacrificing creativity or style," said Alejandro Assens, CEO.
The physical store has enabled Trent to expand its archive and reach a broader audience. Garments, rotated every six months to two years, undergo meticulous cleaning and maintenance. "Each person receives a garment in perfect condition, as if it were the first time it has been worn," Assens noted. Customers must purchase any severely damaged items. Trent's new store in Barcelona. Credits: Trent. Trent's new store in Barcelona. Credits: Trent.
Trent offers one-off rentals and garment purchases, alongside a monthly subscription from 145 euros. This subscription, available in-store, provides continuous access to selected archive pieces, fostering loyalty and reducing impulsive consumption. "The monthly subscription is open to everyone...bringing designer pieces to more people," Assens explained. It targets those seeking a conscious alternative to dressing. Luxury is shared
Laia Cuscó, CPO, curates a range from streetwear to tailoring and accessories, prioritizing aesthetics and ethics. "We work with designers we admire for their proposal, their commitment to responsible production or their narrative," Assens stated. The shop features both cult and lesser-known brands, appealing to an exploratory clientele. Trent's new store in Barcelona. Credits: Trent.
Independent, emerging, and luxury designers are featured both online and in-store. "We want our customers to be able to access garments that they wouldn't find in conventional shops."
The shop is open for exploration and try-ons, with free fitting room bookings for a personalized experience. Cultural events, talks, and fashion shows enhance the vision of dressing as an experience. Trent's new store in Barcelona. Credits: Trent. This article was translated to English using an AI tool.
FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@fashionunited.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Courier
2 hours ago
- The Courier
Perthshire fashion designer's journey to dressing Taylor Swift and £2m turnover
At secondary school in Perth, Jade Robertson was known for customising her uniform. Fast forward two decades and her flair for design caught the eye of one of the world's top pop stars. Orders for Jade's Perthshire-based fashion brand 'skyrocketed' when Taylor Swift was spotted in one of her velvet dresses last year. However, the incredible success of Little Lies is down to far more than just the so-called 'Taylor effect'. Founded in 2015 by Jade and husband Stuart Robertson, the business – which specialises in bohemian, 70s inspired styles – turned over £2 million last year. It began as a small, online boutique operating out of the couple's bedroom. Clothes, while carefully curated, were bought in from wholesalers. However, since 2023, Little Lies, headquartered in Glencarse, has been selling solely its own creations. Jade, 35, will share more about her remarkable story at this month's Courier Business Conference. The event, on Tuesday June 24, is held in partnership with Henderson Loggie and brings together pioneers of gaming, music, fashion, design, media, and digital innovation in Dundee to explore the future Scotland's creative sector. Speaking to The Courier from her Little Lies HQ this week, Jade said: 'So much has changed since we started Little Lies 10 years ago but the ethos remains the same. 'For me, it has always been about helping women of all ages and sizes express their authentic selves and feel comfortable in clothes that are made for their bodies. 'Little Lies isn't a brand that chases trends. 'We are inspired by the music and free spirit of the 70s but want our pieces to feel timeless and be worn again and again. 'The antithesis of fast fashion, we care about quality and fit and use reputable factories.' Perth-born Jade credits her aunt Eve Graham, who sang lead vocals with the New Seekers, with inspiring her love of 70s music and fashion. Jade would dress up in songstress' vintage stage wear and listen intently to tales of parties with the Beatles and Led Zeppelin. She recalls: 'As a young girl my aunt's influence was huge and definitely got me hooked on the music and style of that era. 'I've always had my own unique style. I used to customise my own clothes, including my school uniform, and at one point wore bright pink shoes to school.' Attending Craigie Primary School and Perth High School, Jade excelled in art, music and English and took part in the school drama shows. But despite an impressive haul of Higher results, she decided to leave after fifth year to run a charity fashion show, Rock the Catwalk. Jade immersed herself in the planning and staging of popular event at Perth Concert Hall for four years – even roping her architect dad, Billy, in to be a model. At 21, she decided to apply to the Royal Conservatoire in Glasgow to study technical theatre – but the degree wasn't quite what she expected. 'I loved working behind the scenes at the Concert Hall and decided I wanted to learn how to do all the technical jobs. 'I enjoyed much of my time at the Conservatoire but after two years I realised it wasn't for me and I was going to end up a qualified electrician rather than doing something creative.' Never one to be doing just one thing, Jade's 'side hustle' came to her rescue. She continued: 'I had been making tie dye t-shirts so I started to make more of them and sold them to independent shops to cover the remainder of my rent.' After a brief stint with Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance, she began working in a boutique in Dunfermline, which stocked her t-shirts. It was there, she met her now husband, Stuart, 38, who was friends with the owner. The pair immediately clicked and within a matter of months Stuart had persuaded Jade to set up her own business. Jade said: 'I remember the moment we decided to go for it. We were driving back from a gig and Stuart said he would support me all the way. 'I have always been quite spontaneous but I think I needed that push from him to realise I could make it work. 'Little Lies has been a joint project from day one and I'm so grateful for Stuart's support.' Starting small, Jade set up Little Lies as an online boutique in 2015, sourcing garments that both fit her aesthetic and she knew women would feel good in. She bought a small van and attended tattoo conventions and held local pop-up shops at Aviva and SSE's Perth offices. At the start of 2018 she opened a small standalone Little Lies store in Dundee. While Jade loved chatting to customers on the shop floor and helping them chose outfits, running costs and profitability were a struggle and she made the decision not to open again after the pandemic. However as one door closed, another opened and soon after she got the keys to the current Glencarse unit, Little Lies began selling its own designs. There were a number of reasons Jade was keen to start designing, notably to offer better size inclusivity. She explained: 'Our clothes now come in sizes 6 to 24 and in two different lengths. 'It's important to me to cater to everyone and while the average women's size in the UK is a 16, it can be hard to source over a 14. 'Now sizes 14 to 18 are my biggest sellers.' Turnover was steadily increasing year-on-year until January 2024 when Taylor Swift was spotted wearing Little Lies' Sweet Jane olive crushed mini dress on a night out in Brooklyn. Orders and pre-orders flew in from across the globe and Little Lies met its monthly target within 24 hours. Jade said: 'We usually sell 200 to 300 per style but we sold 6,000 Sweet Jane mini dresses. It was incredible. 'Taylor is the perfect ambassador for the brand. She embodies female empowerment, is unapologetically herself and has strong value that she stands up for. 'She didn't just wear our dress, she wore an affordable £58 dress from a tiny, Scottish female owned brand that comes in inclusive sizes. 'The Taylor effect was a flash in the pan moment in terms of long-term sales but it increased brand visibility and has given me new opportunities to share my story, such as the Courier Business Conference.' Jade, who was recently asked to design St Johnstone FCs third kit, is excited about the future of Little Lies but is also enjoying the 'stability' that 10 years in business brings. Mum to two-year-old Naila, her work/life balance is more than important than ever and her weekends now involve more soft play trips than gigs. She added: 'I used to hate the 9-5 but am now glad to be able to have my evenings and weekends free to be with my family. 'Running your own brand can be stressful so I am happy to be in a stable place right now and work on slow growth and releasing collections I really love.' The Courier Business Conference will also hear from Dundee games boss Chris van der Kuyl who will demonstrate a new virtual design studio and his company, 4J Studios' new game. Held at The Big Real at Water's Edge in Dundee, the keynote speaker will be Geoff Ellis, chief executive of DF Concerts, who will reflect on his career putting on high profile music events including T in the Park and TRNSMT. Tickets are available from
Evening Standard
13 hours ago
- Evening Standard
Liverpool FC make huge new Florian Wirtz transfer bid as fresh target emerges
Negotiations between the two clubs have continued in recent days and will carry on over the weekend, with rumours that Leverkusen are holding out for a total package for their top asset worth up to €150m (£126m), which would see him become the most expensive signing in the history of English football, plus potentially wanting either Jarell Quansah or Harvey Elliott as part of the deal.
The Courier
15 hours ago
- The Courier
JIM SPENCE: Paper thin squads at Tannadice and Dens need attention NOW
Both bosses at Dundee and United can expect to come under quick pressure if they don't get recruitment right in the coming weeks. Many Dundee fans are angry at the appointment of Steven Pressley, and even with last season's success, there's still a section of United supporters lukewarm about Jim Goodwin. It was always thus in football with fickle fans. But with both squads currently paper thin, the pressure could mount sharply if decent signings aren't forthcoming. We'll find out soon enough just how attractive the city clubs are to the kind of players who could boost their prospects next season. How great will the lure of European football at Tannadice prove; and how tempting might the prospect be of working with Steven Pressley as manager and with a technical director like Gordon Strachan, at Dens? Both clubs face major rebuilds; Dundee have just twelve signed players while United have had 16 departures, so a host of new faces will soon be on view. With a wafer thin squad of his own, Jim Goodwin's renovation project will be extensive, with players required in all positions, and a first deal now set to be done for Moldovan defender Iurie Iovu. Repeating another top four finish while restructuring the personnel that achieved it last season will be a major challenge. Arabs and Dees will hope their clubs are on the ball and that player identification to rebuild for the new season is already well advanced. Football is fluid and new targets and potential signings often emerge suddenly, so while a range of targets will undoubtedly have been identified at both clubs, there's also the prospect of new signing opportunities appearing as the squads are revamped. United fans, whatever they think of the departed Glenn Middleton, will recognise that when the Tannadice coffers can't compete with those of Doncaster Rovers, then attracting quality is no easy task, and that applies 100 metres up the street too. That means the powers of persuasion and the personal contacts of those in charge must be worked to the max to lure at least the same calibre of loan players who proved successful last season. Both clubs will have to find unique selling points to attract some targets, because if it comes down to purely a cash contest, neither can compete with many third and in some cases fourth tier English clubs. I've seen some United fans say that Middleton should have stayed for the challenge of Europe, but at 25, while he's hardly Methuselah, a player at that stage maybe has only another two decent contracts in front of him. Weighed against the prospect of possibly a very short European campaign, I wouldn't blame any professional for putting the mortgage first. The youth academies at both clubs will hopefully continue to supplement the recruitment of loan players and other signings. Each team has lost talismen; notably Lyall Cameron at Dens and goal machine Sam Dalby at Tannadice. Replacing that quality will rigorously test recruitment strategies. As for Pressley's appointment, Dundee supporters should rally round and support him. He deserves a fair crack of the whip to see what his team looks like and what he's trying to build before fans rush to judgement.
