Chapter transforms fashion buyers into fashion renters for The Volte’s new brand platform

Chapter has launched The Volte’s new brand platform Rent the Dress-Own the Room, with a campaign that celebrates how fashion rental empowers women to be the best version of themselves.

The campaign seeks to transform fashion buyers into fashion renters by showing how finding the right dress unlocks an intrinsic power, an undeniable confidence for every situation. It celebrates the self-esteem boost that comes when your dress is perfect, and you have made the financially-savvy choice to rent, rather than buy.

The Volte is the world’s largest peer-to-peer dress rental platform. While in its start- up phase, The Volte has successfully capitalised on early adopters of fashion rental in Australia.

To scale up rapidly, and to prepare for the UK launch in 2025, it was time for The Volte to start building its brand with new audiences.

Chapter conducted a national survey to understand the fashion buying and rental habits of roughly 5 million Australian women aged between 18 and 50. The results revealed a significant opportunity: Three million women buy dresses for special events more than 2–3x a year. (Conservatively, that’s around 8,125,000 dress purchases a year).

But a large majority of the women surveyed had never rented a dress before.

Chapter Founding Strategy Partner, Hannah Muirhead, said: “It quickly became clear that we weren’t just doing an awareness campaign–we needed to educate and encourage an entirely new behaviour. Fashion advertising can get women to buy a dress, but it won’t necessarily get them to buy into that dress in a different, totally novel way.

“We needed to give the pretty girl in the pretty dress an attitude. Something to say. Something that would provoke a change in behaviour.”

The campaign needed to deliver both: fashion brand style and a strong call-to-action.

It needed to not just celebrate the joy of fashion but the joy of fashion rental. The creative spark?

The revenge dress—highlighting the undeniable power you feel when the dress fits just right, and the world falls at your feet.

The shoot was styled in Milan by Melbourne-stylist Elliot Garnaut and stars dresses available to rent on The Volte, including designs by Aje, Rachel Gilbert and Zimmermann.

Dean Hunt, Chapter Founding Creative Partner, said: “The higher-order benefit high-fashion rental is contributing to the circular economy. It’s a hot topic and powerful motivator. However, when we went a little deeper and thought about the customer – how they’re feeling as women heading into 2025—the benefits become way more visceral. Volters aren’t just renting the dress, they’re owning their space. Making smart fashionable and financial decisions. This combination of feeling fashionably and fiscally empowered gave us our ‘Wolfess of Wall Street’ tone of voice, which gave the brand an edge. We look forward to seeing this new platform cutting through and punching above its media-weight.”

Kellie Hush, The Volte’s Chief Brand and Strategy Officer, commented: “Enabling our customers to experience the joy of beautiful quality fashion is at the heart of what we do at The Volte and this fantastic campaign by CHAPTER encompasses this. Fashion has the ability to make you feel the power of a good outfit.”

Working to enhance The Volte’s ongoing performance marketing, the ‘RENT THE DRESS—OWN THE ROOM’ brand platform will be a long-term brand play, with additional bespoke and seasonal campaigns to come.

The campaign will be rolled out across social, digital, and outdoor across Australia, and the UK in 2025.

Credits
Strategy & Creative Agency: CHAPTER
Client: The Volte