Think about the last formal dress you bought.
Now ask yourself—how many times did you actually wear it?
For most high schoolers, the answer is once. Maybe twice if you’re lucky. After that, it sits in your closet, untouched, while you move on to the next event and the next purchase.
When do high schoolers actually need a formal dress? A graduation ceremony, a wedding, a fancy dinner, a nice party, or school events like dances and prom. Beyond those moments, there are very few occasions that truly call for something formal. Even then many of us have closets filled with dresses we’ve only worn once. It raises an obvious question: if we only need these outfits occasionally, why do we keep buying new ones every time?
In Gen Z culture today, trends move quickly, too quickly to even keep up with. What’s popular one month can feel outdated the next, and social media only accelerates that cycle. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok have turned everyday moments into curated highlights, where what you wear becomes part of how you present yourself. Because of this mindset, repeating an outfit can feel noticeable, even if no one is actually paying as much attention as we think. As a result, many students fall into the same pattern: buying a dress for one specific event, wearing it once, and then never reaching for it again.
There are plenty of reasons why that dress stays in the closet. Sometimes it’s already been posted online, so it doesn’t feel “new” anymore. Other times, it simply gets lost among everything else you own, or your style shifts and it no longer feels like you. Either way, countless dresses eventually add up to a price that hurts your wallet while accumulating pieces that you won’t feel compelled to wear again— a poor investment. Over time, those one-time purchases add up, turning what felt like occasional spending into a much larger financial habit.
This pattern is exactly what the fast fashion industry thrives on. The constant push for new trends encourages people to keep buying instead of reusing, making it feel normal to treat clothes as temporary. In fact, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the average garment today is worn only about 7 to 10 times before being discarded, and clothing use has dropped by around 36% over the past 15 years. Even more concerning, reports from Environmental America estimate that a majority of clothing ends up in landfills within a year of being purchased. For high school students especially, this mindset is easy to fall into. Events are spaced out just enough that each one feels like it requires a completely different look. But when you really think about it most of these outfits are worn for only a few hours. Not weeks or months, just hours.
So where does a pickle come into play? Pickle is actually a clothing rental platform that allows users to borrow dresses and other pieces instead of spending hundreds of dollars on outfits you’ll only wear once. According to industry analysis from Shanghai Garment Group, rental services price items at only 15–20% of their original retail value, meaning a $200 dress could cost closer to $30–$40 to rent. Data highlighted by Fitzroy Rentals also highlighted that designer dresses with retail for around $800 can be rented for about $129, saving nearly 90% of the cost. The platform offers a wide variety of styles and brands, making it easy to find something that fits the exact occasion without committing to keeping it long-term.
One customer who was shopping for a dress last minute says, “The selection on this app is truly next level!! I found a dress that was sold out everywhere and was able to rent it for a fraction of the cost. This changes the way I shop now.”
One reviewer says they heard people using it and then recommended it to his wife, “Best decision ever. She’s in love with the app. It’s so seamless and she can just long on and pick something for a weekend trip, dinner, or even an entire vacation wardrobe. And the best part is we aren’t spending thousands on a new wardrobe even though it looks like it!”
Some users even earn money by listing their own clothes. As one user shared, “It’s fast, intuitive, and doesn’t feel buggy like a lot of newer apps. The concept works—I’ve earned money from items I already owned, and the community is surprisingly solid.”
At first, renting may seem unnecessary. Why not just buy something cheaper and keep it? But for occasional events, ownership isn’t always the most practical option. You don’t need a permanent collection of formal dresses, you just need something that works for the moment. Renting shifts the focus from owning clothes to simply accessing them when you need them. In fact, studies show that people who use clothing rental services are 40% less likely to purchase fast fashion items afterward, suggesting it can actually change long-term spending habits.
Ultimately, platforms like Pickle reflect a larger shift in how people approach fashion. Instead of asking whether something is worth buying, more people are starting to ask whether they need to even own it in the first place. For items that are only worn occasionally, the answer is often no. As costs continue to rise and spending habits become more important, this kind of thinking becomes even more valuable.
The next time you need a dress for an event, it’s worth pausing before making a purchase. Ask yourself whether you’ll realistically wear it again, and whether it’s worth the full price for a single night. In many cases,renting offers a simpler and more practical alternative. Your closet doesn’t need another one-time outfit, and your wallet will likely thank you for realizing that sooner than later.
