A Reusable Shipper Rebuilt Around How the Business Actually Runs
Rent the Runway pioneered designer fashion rental at scale, and a reusable garment bag has been part of that service since Renée Graham developed the first one while leading packaging at RTR, work later recognized with the 2016 NPF Mail Innovation Award. As the business grew, its shipper stopped keeping pace with the operation. Kargo rebuilt it as a second-generation system that costs less, loads faster, and no longer depends on disposable layers. The result, a navy portfolio-style shipper called the Wallet, launched in 2025.
The Challenge
Reuse was never the problem. The shipper in use still relied on poly sleeves and hangers traveling inside orders, which undercut the reusable promise and added cost and handling time on the warehouse line. Rent the Runway needed a shipper that worked as part of the operation, not a container around it.
The brief pulled in every direction at once. The new shipper had to come in under a hard cost cap, considerably below the 2014 bag, last about 25 shipments, and wipe clean with no wash program. It needed a flat face for a readable label, a construction that could survive sorter equipment, and an interior that kept garments secure and wrinkle-free without poly or a default hanger. It also had to open faster for packers and arrive better for customers. A shipper that solved half the list would still fail.
The Solution
Kargo designed the system before the silhouette. Materials were locked first, so durability, wipe-clean care, and cost were built into the construction from the start. Four directions were developed on that material system and narrowed on cost, loading speed, and sorter performance. Two were prototyped and tested against real warehouse loading: the Wallet, and the Soft Box, a collapsible top-loading box in dark navy laminate. The Soft Box was easy to load, but folding garments to fit cost them their presentation, and it was awkward to carry. The Wallet kept the simplicity, let clothes lie flat, and shipped.
Material Tests
Coated canvas, 100% recycled RPET, and PP woven with 40% recycled content.
Design Tests
Two formats were tested, the Wallet and the Soft Box, along with two label options, a sewn patch and a clear window.
Key Elements:
Navy laminated shell that wipes clean, removing the need to launder the shipper
An inner fabric wrap that acts as both the packing surface and the compression that replaces poly
A mesh pocket that keeps small items secure in transit
A top zip and reinforced gusset for faster loading
Reinforcement boards and tucked handles, so the bag moves through sorters without catching
A flat face with a slide-in label window, so the same shipper becomes the return package
When a brand's challenge is complex, Kargo designs a custom system that makes it simple. For Rent the Runway, that meant designing out everything the shipper did not need, leaving packaging that is simpler for packers, better for customers, and creates less waste.
Results
Cost held to a cap considerably below the 2014 bag
Poly designed out of the standard load
Hangers removed from the default load
Wipe-clean construction built to a 25-shipment durability target, with no wash program
One shipper for outbound delivery and return
Two sizes, large and slim, color-coded at the zipper and handle for fast sorting
Warehouse needs built into the object: top loading, tucked handles, sorter boards, and a flat label face
Services Used:
Design & Engineering, Sourcing, Product Development, Production, Supply Chain & Logistics