Paula Pimlott alongside her rental selection
  • Paula Pimlott started renting out clothes from her wardrobe in March 2022.
  • Pimlott makes an average of about $5,000 a month on clothing-rental platforms including By Rotation.
  • She shares how finding a niche audience and investing in high-quality dresses built her income.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Paula Pimlott, a stay-at-home mom who started a clothing-rental side hustle. Insider has verified revenue and profit with documentation. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I discovered fashion-rental marketplaces around March last year. My husband and I were going out for dinner for the first time since I'd given birth, so I wanted something special to wear. Google told me I could rent a handbag from rental platforms such as Hurr and By Rotation.