We’re building a fashion platform for the next generation: peer-to-peer fashion rental. Users can make money lending out their closets and save money borrowing.
Hi I'm Marley! Founder of rax. Growing up, I always knew I wanted to do something in business. I went to (arguably) one of the best business schools in Canada, landed a job at a big four, got my MBA and thought... this is it? This is what I have strived for, worked so hard towards, the "pinnacle" of success… I wanted to work on something I was passionate about, build something meaningful and have a positive impact in the world. I just didn't know what … Until... My founder story is the typical one where you encounter a problem and there is no solution to it. I attended 7 weddings in one summer and spent thousands of dollars on expensive dresses just to have them sit in my closet. I thought, how can I make money back on these? Meet rax, a peer-to-peer clothing rental app where you can make money lending out your closet and save money borrowing.
The only problem was… I didn't have experience in app development or entrepreneurship. I thought, "Why would I be the one to start rax? I’m 25 years old - why wouldn't someone in the industry or with money start it if it was such a good idea?". But then I realized if everyone thought that way, there would never be a new company! I took my savings and bootstrapped rax.
Upon launching rax on a no-code platform (which was quicker and cheaper to market), the app was very slow and laggy. But instead of giving up, I launched it anyways to get feedback and test product market fit. And people loved the idea! 99.9% of people I spoke to have never heard of peer-to-peer clothing rental but thought it was genius. The only problem was... the app barely worked. However, we still achieved over 600 listings, 50 transactions and 2300 users just through organic marketing proving users were willing to use the app, despite how difficult it was (the best form of product market fit!).
I'm so excited that over the past year, we've taken our feedback and have fully rebuilt the app and have just relaunched! rax is building a fashion platform for the next generation: cheaper, sustainable and more accessible. And if you're in Canada you can download on the App Store! https://apps.apple.com/us/app/re...
Love your story, @marley_alles! It's refreshing to see someone so young and driven pursuing their dreams. The fashion industry needs more sustainable and accessible options like rax. Best of luck!
rax