Our Story

From 4 school ball dresses in my wardrobe to 450+ dresses rented all over New Zealand 

What started as a little idea in 2018 has grown into something I could never have imagined.

IT ALL STARTED WITH 4 DRESSES...

In 2018, I had an idea.

I had four school ball dresses sitting in my wardrobe that I knew I probably wouldn't wear again. I thought, why not rent them out?

So I put them online and gave it a go.

They were a hit.

And just like that, Dress to Impress Rentals was born.

At the time, I had no idea where it would take me. I certainly never imagined that those four dresses would eventually become hundreds of dresses being rented all over New Zealand.

FROM MY BEDROOM...

Like many small businesses, Dress to Impress started very small.

After navigating the COVID years, in 2021 I set up a little dress rental space in my bedroom in my flat, where customers could come over and try on the growing collection.

It was just me, one rack of dresses and a whole lot of excitement about what this little business could become.

And somehow, people kept coming!

THEN CAME OUR FIRST STORE

In 2022, Dress to Impress Rentals took its next big step and we opened our first store.

Having an actual space where customers could come in, browse the collection and try dresses on felt like such a huge milestone.

But we didn't stop there.

As the collection and customer base continued to grow, we eventually outgrew our first store.

So in 2025, we moved into a bigger space — giving us room to grow our collection and create an even better experience for our customers.

LOOK HOW FAR WE'VE COME

What started with me, my bedroom and one rack of dresses is now:

👗 450+ dresses
📦 20,000+ dresses rented
🇳🇿 Customers all over New Zealand
💕 Our amazing Dress to Impress Rentals team

And honestly, it's pretty crazy to look back and see how far we've come.

Every single rental, order, try-on, review, recommendation and returning customer has helped us get here.

WHY WE LOVE WHAT WE DO

We genuinely love helping people find a dress for their special occasions.

Whether it's a school ball, wedding, birthday, races, graduation, hens party or just an excuse to get dressed up, we love being a small part of those moments.

There's something pretty special about seeing a customer find the dress, watching them walk out excited for their event, and then seeing the photos afterwards.

And the best part?

You don't have to buy a new dress every time you have somewhere to go.

You can wear something amazing, make the memories, return it and then find something completely different for your next event.

We are so incredibly grateful for every person who has supported Dress to Impress Rentals along the way.

Thank you for letting us be part of your special occasions.

We absolutely love what we do, and we can't wait to see where the next chapter takes us.

Hannah x