Vintage rental is a fragmented market\u2014some of the best vintage designer pieces are cloistered away in private archives, only available for eye-watering auction prices, or kept solely for celebrity red carpet moments. \u201cWe talk about democratizing archival fashion,\u201d says Gray. \u201cIt\u2019s not about making rare fashion feel diluted or less special\u2014it\u2019s about expanding access in a way that still honors the integrity of the garment and the history behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carota first launched IoM as a resale Instagram account, building an archive of rare vintage pieces and hosting pop-ups around New York. Gray attended one of those events in 2022, while reselling vintage furniture. The two quickly became collaborators, then business owners. \u201cWhat connected us most was a shared perspective on vintage: not as something meant to sit untouched in private collections, but as pieces meant to be worn, lived in, and continuously recirculated,\u201d Carota says.<\/p>\n
Frustration with the market made them founders. \u201cSo much of archival fashion exists inside insider networks\u2014celebrity stylists, private dealers, collectors,\u201d Gray says. \u201cWe became obsessed with creating infrastructure around vintage that felt as accessible, seamless, and trustworthy as modern retail, while still preserving the integrity and history of the garments themselves.\u201d Rather than just an accessible rental platform, their idea was to create a different access model for fashion history.<\/p>\n
Access over ownership defines the service; rather than operate solely as resale, the platform focuses on rental. \u201cRental changes the equation entirely,\u201d Gray says. \u201cInstead of one person owning a piece forever, dozens of women can experience it over time.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"todd](\"https:\/\/assets.vogue.com\/photos\/6a0c5af1d6a066b55e8093f1\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/todd%2520oldham%2520fw%25201994.jpg\"\/)
<\/picture><\/span><\/div>\nTodd Oldham fall 1994.<\/p>\n
<\/span>Photo: Courtesy of Isle of Monday<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Mary Beth Barone wearing Todd Oldham, styled by Kay Typaldos and sourced from Isle of Monday.<\/p>\n <\/span>Photo: Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n Isle of Monday\u2019s early inventory reflects the current demand for uninhibited glamour and maximalism, as well as late \u201990s and early \u201900s work designs: Galliano-era Dior, Roberto Cavalli, Vivienne Westwood, Jean Paul Gaultier, Versace, and Blumarine are among the platform\u2019s strongest performers. The women note growing demand for more pared-back pieces, too, and a shift towards the quieter, sensual designs of Tom Ford-era Gucci. Looking ahead, the founders hope to expand deeper into Galliano-era Dior, early McQueen, Prada, Margiela, Ala\u00efa, and Issey Miyake.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/picture><\/span><\/div>\n