Valerie Shangina
Valerie Shangina
Valerie Shangina embodies the new generation of ethical entrepreneurs, combining the practicality of business engineering with a deeply humanistic vision of fashion. Renue aspires to go beyond mere rental services: it wants to be an example of innovation for socially engaged and sustainable fashion.
Valerie Shangina is currently pursuing a Bachelor in Business Engineering at the KU Leuven Campus Brussels, a course that allows her to combine analytical accuracy with an entrepreneurial mindset. Besides her studies, she is a member of Fashion Business Club Brussels, a student group through which she organises industry events and creates a forum for students and fashion professionals. During her 2-year residency at the MAD Incubator, Valerie aims to found Renue, a clothing rental platform.
“For those in search of a personal style, the possibility of renting luxurious, trendy garments without having to buy them can be an added value.”
Renue aims to restore our relationship with fashion, which has been affected by fast fashion's polluting and harmful impact on the environment. Sensitive to current trends and highly aware of environmental issues, Valerie Shangina founded Renue in response to the urgent need for change in the fashion industry. This alternative to consumerism is built on the innovative concept of the ‘collective wardrobe’, a clothing rental system that surpasses traditional practices. Through precise curation, the platform gives everyone access to garments from women's collections, from affordable pieces to vintage designer items, suitable for different occasions. ‘We've all been looking for the perfect outfit for a unique occasion at some point,’ she says. Renue offers an innovative approach towards conscious consumption while encouraging a variety of styles and creativity in fashion.
Renue aspires to become the go-to reference point for socially responsible fashion lovers. With rental options ranging from 24 hours to 30 days, Renue offers non-binding access to extraordinary pieces of clothing, while significantly reducing costs and waste and maintaining exclusivity. The founder also wants to give her users the opportunity to rent out their own clothes. Renue is thus creating a community for sustainability and creativity by redefining consumer standards. In a world where individualism is often the norm, Valerie Shangina engages this community, united by their fashion sense and environmental awareness, to act as actors and drivers for positive change.
‘For those in search of a personal style, the possibility of renting luxurious, trendy garments without having to buy them can be an added value.’ The concept proposed by Valerie Shangina is not limited to a simple transaction but aims to renew the relationship between fashion and personal identity. By democratising access to haute couture without the financial and emotional constraints associated with a purchase, it offers the opportunity to explore individual style. With this offer, Valerie Shangina turns clothing into social consciousness by offering a frequent change of clothes without generating unnecessary waste. Renue invites us to redefine luxury into a shared experience. For fashion lovers, it is an opportunity to increase the number of styling options while contributing to significantly reducing our ecological footprint.