Lizzie Shankland, mum of two, from Manchester, was frustrated with the fast fashion culture and so started her own side hustle to rent out stunning clothing that still belongs to its original owner.
She started to only buy pre-loved clothing to get that shopping dopamine hit 4 years ago, which led to swapping dresses with her friends, and then turned into her side hustle, The Didsbury Wardrobe, which is now one year old.
The Didsbury Wardrobe is a clothes rental and an informal personal styling service and is celebrating its first birthday with a fashion show to raise money for the NSPCC on Friday 2 May in Manchester.
Lizzie said: “What started as a passion project and a bit of fun has turned into a viable side hustle. I work as a teacher three days a week and could not give that up as it pays my mortgage, but I love helping women of all ages, shapes and sizes to feel great for something special and give them the confidence to wear something different.”
The Didsbury Wardrobe now has a collection of almost 500 pieces, mainly dresses, but she also has stylish evening suits, skirts, tops, jackets and coats. Labels include Vivienne Westwood, Free People, Rat and Boa, which Lizzie says is incredibly popular, Victoria Beckham, Queen of Archive, Ganni, Self Portrait and more.
One of her stand out pieces is a Stella Nova silver metallic suit with an 80s vibe with was worn to the RTAs in 2024.
One of Lizzie’s favourite pieces is a vintage Missoni maxi dress featuring the label’s classic multicoloured pattern, low cut with beautiful cut outs and super sexy. She says she’s hired this for a client to wear to a wedding party on a yacht and “where else could you wear something as knock out as that?!”
Lizzie added: “When a lot of people come to me, they have been on a weight loss journey, either lost or sometimes gained, or have had a mastectomy and they simply don’t know what will suit them and have often lost their confidence in what to wear. I always ask a bit about the event they’re going to, about their style and body shape and select four or five pieces, along with the one they requested, that I think would work well. Nine times out of 10 they go for one of the wild cards that I have picked as I know what will make them feel their best.”
Lizzie takes as much care with the items, that still belong to other people, as if they were her own. She said:
“I always check how sentimental a piece is before agreeing to take it. We split the costs of the rental 50/50 and I have careful T&Cs about accidental damage, but some items are vintage and simply cannot be replaced. Someone offered me a Matthew Williamson gown she had worn once for her engagement party and it was the most incredible works of art I’ve ever seen, but I could not take it and risk any damage due to the sentimental value. There have only been two instances of genuinely accidental damage in the entire year and hundreds of items I have hired out.”
The NSPCC event is the annual fashion show in aid of the Childline in the north west and is an afternoon of fashion, food and drink. Tickets cost £59 for an individual ticket and tables work out at a lower cost per head. For more information about the event see here: https://giving.give-star.com/event/nspcc/nspcc-fashion-show-2025
For more information about the Didsbury Wardrobe please visit the website or connect with Lizzie on Instagram.
