The Interview: Steve Bryant, Founder, The Devout

Launched in 2020 at the height of COVID-19 restrictions globally, The Devout offers designer and everyday menswear and womenswear to rent every month, from brands including Whistles, Levi’s, Tommy Jeans, Calvin Klein, Jack and Jones, Farah, and Ralph Lauren.

Founded by marketing expert Steve Bryant, the business operates as a monthly subscription and has seen huge growth in the last two years, with the company capitalising on the need to a find use for unsold stock.

TheIndustry.fashion speaks with Bryant about founding the company, the impact of COVID-19 on the business and consumers, the rental market model and the company's links to charity.

Tell me about yourself Steve and what lead you to founding The Devout?

My background is in marketing which often takes me to the US – back in 2019 I discovered the concept of clothing rental and how significant it was in the US. Across the pond in the UK, I saw there wasn’t the choice or market, nor infrastructure to easily set up in the market. I set out to create a new brand focussing on rental for the everyday, alongside building a platform for brands to launch their own circular store.

What does The Devout actually offer as a service? For a rental subscription box it’s actually quite personable.

Users can choose a 3, 5 or 10 item plan to subscribe to. We’ve kept the journey as close to a traditional online “shop” for familiarity, so members go through and choose the styles they like, in the size they want. They get themselves signed up to a monthly membership and start their journey. Every month, they have the option of swapping for something new for their next box, keeping items for longer, and if they really can’t part with it, they can buy it with an exclusive member discount. We deliver and collect their boxes (or they can drop it off) as well as handling all of the laundry.

Behind the scenes, how long has it taken to refine this process of finding the right products for your consumer?

R&D Started around a year prior to launch. We decided to build a platform rather than just a “shop” so we could build an ecosystem specifically designed for rental and the circular economy, covering reverse logistics, such as laundry and preparation, ready for the next member to wear. We launched in June 2020 after the first lockdown which was later than originally planned, but as for everyone, COVID put the brakes on! We have continued to build on our roadmap to extend to new features on the site, more options for deliveries and collections as well as a wider choice of brands.

How did you decide on the price-point?

Originally we launched a single price plan at £79 per month, in December last year, based on conversations with our members and wider focus groups, we launched a more affordable plan for 3 items, and a major haul for 10 items, to suit all budgets and lifestyles. In line with this, we reduced the price of our 5 item plan to make it more accessible to everyone.

Consumers have become more interested in themselves and the planet since then COVID-19 pandemic started, how would you compare this shift with what you’ve seen in the rental market?

I think customers have realised there’s no value in fast fashion and they want to invest more in themselves, while also helping the planet. Rental and the wider circular economy is a great way to keep enjoying “new” stuff, while reducing their impact on the environment. I think they’ve also seen just how much value rental gives them – an average 5 item box gives the member around £500 RRP value of clothes for £59.

You actually launched just before the pandemic hit – did you notice any changes in renting habits? And has it swung back?

It’s definitely been a rollercoaster since we launched. We noticed some surges in Autumn 2020 as we were allowed to do more activities, like seeing friends and go to bars. With the 2021 lockdown, we saw this demand drop quite significantly – in line with the wider fashion industry. We’re pleased to say though that it's picking up some incredible pace since the summer.

How have you appealed to brands in the fashion industry and asked them to get involved in the business? Can you give me some examples of brands?

We’re always in talks with brands and we’ve got some extremely exciting collections launching this Spring. We offer a mix of brands from premium high street brands like Whistles, but also cult-followed icons like House of Sunny to offer a wide mix of styles. We added LK Bennett last year to offer some higher-end alternatives, but every day brands like & Other Stories have also proved a hit.

What has the response been from brands? Because you’re providing them accessibility.

It’s definitely a mixed bag – circular offerings are still very new for a very ‘traditional’ industry. On the one side, you have brands who won’t venture outside of their comfort zone and be seen to work with new business models. But on the other side, you have forward thinking brands, like Whistles who encourage innovation in the space.

This rental model has proven to be successful with women, but the menswear market has struggled before, how are you navigating and challenging that?

The market for men has mostly centred around suits and weddings, rather than for fashionable. But with the shift in men’s fashion over the last few years, we’re seeing more widely that men are taking an interest in fashion and investing in their wardrobes. The interest in our men’s collection has certainly been higher than expected and we tend to see that for the members that sign up, they stick with the service and go through the entire collection!

And obviously you have womenswear too – what’s the balance like with consumers?

Perhaps as expected, we are still heavily focussed on women given the market – approx. 80% of our members are women

You also support the charity Shelter in the business, tell me how you do that?

Our mission is to extend the life of fashion and clothing, first of all by allowing more people to wear the same garments, prolonging their lifecycle and reducing the environmental impact. But when they’re no longer suitable for rental, we donate items to Shelter to help them find their forever home. In addition, this year we’re launching some exciting initiatives to allow our members to donate to the cause, too.

What’s the future for The Devout, in the next year and the next five years?

First of all we’re aggressively investing in our platform to make the experience as seamless as possible, giving more control over their membership to the customer and giving more self-service tools, to replace items during their rental period, to pausing their membership when they don’t need any more clothes. Alongside that, we’re also going to aggressively grow the number of brands we work with to offer more choice and variety to our members.