Zero Collective, a Toronto-based luxury handbag rental membership, is reimagining how Canadians engage with high-end fashion through a circular, access-based model.
Rather than purchasing items for single ownership, members gain flexible access to designer handbags from brands like Chanel, Dior, Celine, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Prada through a subscription model, reflecting a broader shift toward sustainability, longevity, and more intentional consumption.
From a retail industry perspective, Zero Collective offers a timely case study in how circular rental models can:
- Extend the lifecycle of luxury products while preserving brand value
- Keep inventory in active use longer, supporting circularity and reduced waste
- Build recurring customer relationships through ongoing engagement rather than one-time transactions
- Serve as a discovery and trial pathway that can lead to resale or full-price purchase
As brands and retailers continue exploring circular strategies, from resale to repair to rental, platforms like Zero Collective are showing how luxury can participate meaningfully in the circular economy while remaining aspirational, profitable, and consumer-driven.
CEO Ashley Boyce said Zero started in September of 2024.
“Zero Collective is a luxury handbag subscription company, or subscription club, I should say. Basically, our members join and have an opportunity to access hard-to-find luxury designer handbags on a monthly basis,” she said.
“The way that it works is we have two different tiers. We have our Classic tier that starts at $159, and that gets a member access to a bag that would retail up to $4,500. Then our Deluxe membership is $229 and gets a member basically any of the bags that we have. We have a lot of bags that would retail for far over $4,500.
“It’s a great option for a variety of reasons. We find most of our clients are people who appreciate luxury and designer handbags. They’re interested in it, they own them themselves, and this is a great supplement to their current collection. It’s also a great way, if you’re thinking about investing in a bag, either new or pre-owned, to try it out.
“I always give the example that when I was a Zero member, I really wanted to borrow a Christian Dior Saddle Bag because I was convinced that when I got my bonus, it was going to be the bag that I was going to buy. What I ended up finding is it is so not practical for me in my life. I’ve got an eight-year-old and a six-year-old, and I need to be able to put Goldfish crackers and stuff like that in my bag. It didn’t fit for me.
“The other thing we’ve talked a lot about is if you look at the industry and the designer landscape, prices for a lot of our high-end designer bags have gone up exponentially over the past few years. Chanel and Dior in particular have seen significant price increases. So the world is starting to make access to luxury, particularly on the new side, incredibly more difficult than it already is. This is a great alternative to have access to that world without necessarily having to spend thousands and thousands of dollars.”
Boyce said the company sources from a variety of places around the world. All of the bags are in somewhat pre-owned condition.
“We wouldn’t really buy anything new for a variety of reasons, including the fact that a lot of what we buy is vintage. We’ve got a lot of really beautiful, hard-to-find vintage pieces,” she said.
“One thing we certainly find is bags made 20 or 30 years ago, particularly Chanel and Louis Vuitton, are actually even better quality than today. We’re talking about hardware that is 24-carat gold, versus today you don’t necessarily see that on all of the hardware. Even things like the mixed materials and the leathers they’re using, you certainly see that has changed as well.
“That’s one reason. The other is inevitably our members are going to be using these bags. You don’t necessarily want something in pristine condition because a member will wear it. It could get a scratch or a little bit dirty. We have a great repairs team and repair structure to make sure our bags stay in great condition. But that’s another reason why we don’t typically buy anything new, and we participate in the circular economy.”
Right now, the company is Toronto-based, but it is looking to quickly expand beyond Toronto.
“Our clients discover us a couple of different ways. Most of our clients are women. They’re often highly educated, potentially working, and appreciative of this stuff,” added Boyce.
“Our members are our number one referral source, which is really interesting because I think we have two types of members. There are members who don’t necessarily want to say that the bag they’re carrying is not their own, and that’s not something they talk about. Then there are members for whom sharing what we do is such a cachet with their friends. It’s like letting someone into a secret society because we do have a wait list, and you need to be approved to be a member of Zero and part of the handbag club.
“We also see a lot come through our influencer and creator strategy because so many creators are participating in the creator economy. For them to have access to these bags is often a privilege as well.”
Boyce said she sees interest in the circular economy is growing.
“If I look at the larger circular economy, the attitude toward participation in access instead of ownership has changed drastically with the evolution of places like Airbnb or Uber. Everyone’s openness to participating in this economy has changed,” she said.
“If you look at the luxury resale market, you’re seeing that grow double digits as people participate. A hundred years ago, when Chanel first started the brand, or 200 years ago when Louis Vuitton first started the brand, the only way to access any of these goods was to buy them new. There was no pre-owned market.
“In the eighties and nineties, pre-owned or circular started to move away from being on the fringes where you go into a thrift store because the items were quirky or different to full resale companies that authenticate luxury goods as their entire business model. Even things like eBay came through acting as a large reseller in the luxury space.
“Brands like us have come through where we aren’t necessarily buy-new or buy-pre-owned. We’re a great option to have access to something without ownership, and we’re a great supplement if you want to buy new or pre-owned, just an option for people to start participating.
“You see a willingness there in both luxury and fashion, with companies in the U.S. like Rent the Runway and Nuuly, with people recognizing that ownership and investment is not always the right thing to spend money on.
“We’ve talked a lot in our company about what return on investment means on a personal level. Your return on investment on your stock portfolio is probably to make money, but how you might measure return on investment in an expensive stereo system would be different if you really love a beautiful sound experience versus someone who’s happy listening on a Sonos.
“I think we’ve started to talk about return on investment in fashion and luxury in that way as well. Where do you want to be putting and spending money on both a personal and professional level, knowing that appearance can have such an impact on your professional perception?”
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