Dress rental mobile home parks outside Russell House
Rent the Runway swept through USC’s campus Monday, and to say it was successful would be an understatement.
After many months of preparation and planning, the group, which allows customers to rent dresses online, began its “Storm the South” campaign.
It first stopped at Clemson, then Georgia for game day and then landed in Columbia with an elaborate pop-up shop outside of Russell House
Inside a vehicle were more than 200 dresses, handpicked by the Rent the Runway.
They were divided into five categories: “Girl on a Budget,” “Homecoming,” “Sorority Formal,” “Holiday” and “Halloween.” The pop-up shop had women visiting constantly through the afternoon, trying on dresses, renting for the future and signing up to become a member.
Ping-pong tables, cornhole, a photo booth, jars of candy and business cards were set up outside. The hot-pink items outside were all of the same design: gold script with either a quote or the “RTR” letters. Even the cornhole bean bags had “RTR” stamped on them in white and pink.
Maria Alosco, the group’s college coordinator, said that the event had been a great success and that South Carolina was her first stop so far. Many women had never heard of Rent the Runway and thought it was a good opportunity to rent outfits for events instead of buying dresses to wear once.
Toward the end of the set-up, the group presented a runway show highlighting game day style with Rent the Runway representatives from USC. Each had a male escort, most sporting American flag fanny packs, and did twirls at the end of their walks.