WEARSHIP ECONOMY FROM OWNERSHIP TO THE RIGHT TO WEAR: A NEW PARADIGM FOR THE CIRCULAR APPAREL MARKET

Beatrice Deliperi

doi:10.5281/zenodo.21917594

Abstract

This contribution proposes the concept of Wearship Economy to describe a market in which the economic value
of apparel does not depend primarily on the transfer of ownership, but on the temporary, regulated, and repeatable
right to wear a garment. Drawing on the literature on access-based consumption, product-service systems, and the
circular economy, the article distinguishes Wearship from simple occasional rental: it constitutes an integrated
architecture of durable design, digital access, reverse logistics, maintenance, traceability, and product reallocation.
The model can reduce the cost of access for the consumer and allow the firm to generate multiple revenues from
the same good, provided that the cumulative margin exceeds the costs of acquisition, cleaning, repair, handling,
and risk. The article also examines the reasons why major brands have not yet adopted rental at scale, including
sales cannibalization, operational complexity, perceived hygiene, size management, deterioration, and positioning
protection. Finally, a conversion clause from access to purchase in the event of serious damage is outlined,
distinguishing it from normal wear and tear. The thesis is that Wearship will not eliminate ownership, but may
establish itself as a structural component of a hybrid wardrobe and as a new paradigm of value creation in fashion.

Keywords

Wearship; Wearship Economy; circular fashion; access-based consumption; clothing rental; product-service systems; servitization.

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