An Etobicoke entrepreneur who founded an arguably industry-redefining peer-to-peer women’s clothing rental app called rax has won a $40,000 startup grant from beer giant Molson Coors.
Recently, Marley Alles, 27, beat out four other entrepreneurs from across Canada to deliver her winning 60-second elevator pitch to Coors Original live in an elevator at the Coors Original Legacy Lift event in downtown Toronto.
She also won a 1:1 mentorship session with David Coors.
“I think they liked my business plan and the positive impact it has in communities across Canada and building a legacy,” Alles said of Coors’ feedback on her pitch. “There’s pressure on consumers to spend money and be on-trend, particularly younger consumers who once they post something on social media, they never wear it again. I think they saw the market trends moving toward (fashion) sustainability and resale and rentals.”
Leslie Malcolm, senior director of marketing for Molson Global Brands, said the Coors Original team recognized the same “grit, determination and passion” in the entrepreneurs as the Coors family exhibited 150 years ago.
“We were honoured to award the $40,000 Legacy Lift grant to Marley Alles of Rax after learning more about how she took an inspiring career leap to build a lasting, sustainable business that would create a positive impact for the people of Canada, innovate an industry or way of thinking and leave a lasting legacy,” Malcolm said in a statement.
Etobicoke entrepreneur Marley Alles recently beat out four other Canadian finalists to win a $40,000 Coors Original Legacy Lift grant to grow her peer-to-peer wardrobe rental app rax following her successful elevator pitch to Coors Original in Toronto.
Alles is leveraging her background in business and growth marketing to use the grant to develop a 2024 marketing strategy for the app, working with influencers and on content creation and social channels.
To date, Coors Legacy Lift grant has helped Alles with monthly expenses and paid for a lawyer to get a trademark and write the app’s terms and conditions.
This winter, Alles, who works as a startup consultant, plans to unveil a new rax app a year after its launch incorporating customer feedback and learnings.
Rax is one of the first clothing rental apps in Canada.
“Peer-to-peer clothing rental is such a new space, you need to educate around the entire category, not just your brand,” Alles said. “But people are definitely very excited about it. It’s fun to be at the forefront of pioneering a new industry that’s so up-and-coming.”
Currently, rax has nearly 500 listings. Lenders often post a photo of themselves in the clothing “so you can see what it looks like on a real body type,” as opposed to on a model, Alles said.
Etobicoke entrepreneur Marley Alles recently beat out four other Canadian finalists to win a $40,000 Coors Original Legacy Lift grant to grow her peer-to-peer wardrobe rental app rax following her successful elevator pitch to Coors Original in Toronto.
Rax works on a tiered pricing system. The longer you rent, the higher the cost.
“If you’re wearing a great outfit, you feel so much better,” Alles said “There’s definitely something for every budget. Tons of items for $15 to $20 and luxury items, like Gucci items and Louboutin shoes you can rent for up to six months.”
Rax makes 20 per cent commission on lenders’ items.
Both borrowers and lenders tend to do repeat business on rax, Alles said.
“Once people go through the process once, they’re coming back for every event to get a new dress,” she said. “And lenders say, ‘I wouldn’t have bought this dress, but I knew I could make money on it.’ It’s like being your own entrepreneur, having your own side hustle through your wardrobe.”
Alles said she hopes rax is a pioneer in the consumption of formal event fashion.
“I hope fashion rental will be one of the main ways we consume formal event pieces or trendy pieces in the future to reduce our impact on the people who work in fashion and on the planet,” she said.