The Harvard Business School pals and native New Yorkers (Hyman, 32, hails from New Rochelle; Fleiss, 29, grew up in Midtown) founded their biz back in late 2009, with the goal of solving “I have nothing to wear” conundrums for women across the country.
Since then, the duo has signed on more than 200 designers, like Vera Wang and Proenza Schouler, attracted more than 3 million (and counting) members, and — as of March — secured $54 million in venture capital funding.
DRESS UP: Rent the Runway’s Jenny Fleiss and Jenn Hyman (above) landed Beyoncé as a celeb partner.Tamara Beckwith/NY Post (2)
DRESS UP: Rent the Runway’s Jenny Fleiss and Jenn Hyman (above) landed Beyoncé as a celeb partner.
In May, the company announced Beyoncé as its first-ever celebrity partner and debuted an online boutique of styles hand-picked by the superstar.
Office space: Since growing out of their “very close quarters” in a Hudson Street sublet three years ago, the company’s 200-plus employees have spread across a pair of loft-style floors in their West Soho building.
Except for Hyman’s private office — which she uses for one-on-one meetings with her executive team — the space features an open floor plan with communal-style desks to promote collaboration between colleagues.
Decor: With fashion sketches from the likes of Badgley Mischka and Thakoon adorning one wall, ikat pillows propped on a pair of chartreuse wing-back chairs and trendy accents like a bold chevron rug, the office’s hip, cheery common areas feel distinctly like a downtown bachelorette pad belonging to their dream customer.
This aesthetic extends to Hyman’s office, where a chic white lacquer Parsons desk displays a matching magenta tape dispenser, stapler and tray.
“You walk into most start-ups in New York, and there’s a very ‘bro’-y culture,” says Hyman, wearing a royal blue Moschino shift dress. “I’m proud of the fact that we have a girly culture — and it’s okay that I have hot pink accessories all over my desk.”
Detritus: In Hyman’s office, a wall of photos includes a cherished shot of the founders, their mothers and Fleiss’s 18-month-old daughter, Daniella.
“The culture here feels very much like family — there’s a lot of warmth here,” notes Hyman.
On an adjacent bookshelf stand Barbies made to look like Fleiss and Hyman, which Mattel sent the women, and a collectible Missoni Coke bottle (inset) that Vittorio Missoni gifted Hyman after they met in Milan a few years ago.
Fleiss’s desk displays a framed photo collage her team made for her birthday and a collection of tchotchkes that her daughter gravitates to during her daily visits to the office.
Commute: The West Village residents both live within a ten-minute walk from the office and enjoy their daily strolls through one of the city’s more swanky neighorhoods.
“It’s kind of refreshing not seeing people in suits all day,” says Fleiss, an ex-Wall Streeter.
Routine: Both women arrive at the office around 9 a.m.; Hyman typically stays until 8 p.m., while Fleiss scoots out earlier to let her nanny off. She logs back online around 9 p.m. for an hour and a half of work after her daughter goes to sleep.
Each tries to sneak in sweat sessions before or after work (Soul Cycle or Equinox for Fleiss; Barry’s Bootcamp for Hyman) and also takes advantage of the hot spots in their ’hood, like Hundred Acres.
Work style: “The hours of the day should be spent around people,” says Hyman, who, like Fleiss, spends most of her day in meetings. “If I just wanted to e-mail, I could do that at home.”
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Since then, the duo has signed on more than 200 designers, like Vera Wang and Proenza Schouler, attracted more than 3 million (and counting) members, and — as of March — secured $54 million in venture capital funding.
DRESS UP: Rent the Runway’s Jenny Fleiss and Jenn Hyman (above) landed Beyoncé as a celeb partner.Tamara Beckwith/NY Post (2)
DRESS UP: Rent the Runway’s Jenny Fleiss and Jenn Hyman (above) landed Beyoncé as a celeb partner.
In May, the company announced Beyoncé as its first-ever celebrity partner and debuted an online boutique of styles hand-picked by the superstar.
Office space: Since growing out of their “very close quarters” in a Hudson Street sublet three years ago, the company’s 200-plus employees have spread across a pair of loft-style floors in their West Soho building.
Except for Hyman’s private office — which she uses for one-on-one meetings with her executive team — the space features an open floor plan with communal-style desks to promote collaboration between colleagues.
Decor: With fashion sketches from the likes of Badgley Mischka and Thakoon adorning one wall, ikat pillows propped on a pair of chartreuse wing-back chairs and trendy accents like a bold chevron rug, the office’s hip, cheery common areas feel distinctly like a downtown bachelorette pad belonging to their dream customer.
This aesthetic extends to Hyman’s office, where a chic white lacquer Parsons desk displays a matching magenta tape dispenser, stapler and tray.
“You walk into most start-ups in New York, and there’s a very ‘bro’-y culture,” says Hyman, wearing a royal blue Moschino shift dress. “I’m proud of the fact that we have a girly culture — and it’s okay that I have hot pink accessories all over my desk.”
Detritus: In Hyman’s office, a wall of photos includes a cherished shot of the founders, their mothers and Fleiss’s 18-month-old daughter, Daniella.
“The culture here feels very much like family — there’s a lot of warmth here,” notes Hyman.
On an adjacent bookshelf stand Barbies made to look like Fleiss and Hyman, which Mattel sent the women, and a collectible Missoni Coke bottle (inset) that Vittorio Missoni gifted Hyman after they met in Milan a few years ago.
Fleiss’s desk displays a framed photo collage her team made for her birthday and a collection of tchotchkes that her daughter gravitates to during her daily visits to the office.
Commute: The West Village residents both live within a ten-minute walk from the office and enjoy their daily strolls through one of the city’s more swanky neighorhoods.
“It’s kind of refreshing not seeing people in suits all day,” says Fleiss, an ex-Wall Streeter.
Routine: Both women arrive at the office around 9 a.m.; Hyman typically stays until 8 p.m., while Fleiss scoots out earlier to let her nanny off. She logs back online around 9 p.m. for an hour and a half of work after her daughter goes to sleep.
Each tries to sneak in sweat sessions before or after work (Soul Cycle or Equinox for Fleiss; Barry’s Bootcamp for Hyman) and also takes advantage of the hot spots in their ’hood, like Hundred Acres.
Work style: “The hours of the day should be spent around people,” says Hyman, who, like Fleiss, spends most of her day in meetings. “If I just wanted to e-mail, I could do that at home.”
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