From Airbnb to Uber, the sharing or platform economy has reshaped many aspects of our economy and society. In recent years, fashion rental platforms have gained in popularity, fuelling the introduction of the platform economy in fashion. When the COVID‐19 pandemic hit, the impact on fashion rental platforms was abrupt, with demand disappearing seemingly overnight as events were cancelled and many people began working from home. Drawing on a case study of fashion rental platforms, we explore the immediate consequences of the pandemic on this segment of the platform economy, examining both the challenges these platforms face in the short term and the strategies platforms have adopted to try and weather the storm. We highlight how the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on fashion rental platforms thus far intersects with issues pertaining to value creation, precarious work, gender, and sustainable consumption. In doing so, we reflect on how fashion rental platforms inform understanding of the platform economy more broadly and conclude by suggesting themes for future research.

中文翻译：

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平台和大流行：以COVID-19期间的时尚租赁平台为例

从Airbnb到Uber，共享或平台经济已经改变了我们经济和社会的许多方面。近年来，时装租赁平台越来越受欢迎，推动了平台经济在时装界的引入。当COVID-19大流行时，对时装租赁平台的影响突然爆发，随着事件的取消和许多人开始在家工作，需求似乎在一夜之间消失了。通过对时尚租赁平台的案例研究，我们探索了大流行对平台经济这一细分领域的直接后果，研究了这些平台在短期内面临的挑战以及平台为应对风暴而采取的策略。我们将重点介绍到目前为止，COVID-19大流行对时尚租赁平台的影响如何与价值创造，不稳定的工作，性别和可持续消费有关的问题相交。在这样做的过程中，我们反思了时尚租赁平台如何更广泛地促进人们对平台经济的理解，并通过提出未来研究的主题提出结论。