We had the privilege of hosting Jennifer Hyman 👑 co-founder and CEO of Rent The Runway at NY Icons 🔥
For the first time in nearly 3 years of hosting at NY Icons, I actually paused and thought about what to wear. I wanted my outfit to express me at my best 🪞
Growing up, “diversifying your closet” meant borrowing from your mom or friends - but even that never gave you the freedom to fully express yourself (especially if you wanted to be a little outrageous 🤭).
Jennifer changed that - she made looking like a million bucks not cost it 💫 🌟
A few takeaways below 👇
👤 Rehire yourself. Every few years, ask: Do I still want this? And if the answer is yes, figure out what has to change in you for the next chapter.
👠 Never Delegate Your Special Sauce!
💡 Constraints can force your best ideas. When capital was tight, RTR didn’t just cut back - it reinvented the model.
👩🦰 Customer obsession is a strategy, not a slogan. Deep understanding of women’s needs → better product, better retention, better business.
👩💻 Founder mode is not chaos — it’s focus. Get into the weeds on the 2–3 things that can truly change the company. Not everything. The right things!
🙌 Empower people to act like founders. Small, cross-functional teams with real ownership move faster and think bigger.
🧩 AI is not a buzzword - it’s a multiplier. From personalization to virtual try-ons to quality control, AI is driving real ROI.
🚀 Forward momentum matters more than perfect strategy. Sometimes the most important thing is simply to keep moving, keep testing, and keep learning.
💱 Action beats overthinking. Launch, learn, iterate. Advanced planning has its place, but velocity is often the real advantage.
🫂 Culture is what you reward. Who gets hired, promoted, recognized, and let go ultimately defines the company far more than what is written on a wall.
✏️ Core values only matter if they are lived out loud.
🩰 Make the behavior aspirational. RTR didn’t normalize rented clothing by making it feel cheaper - it made it feel elevated, premium, and cool.
🕳️ Customer experience is often a time problem. People do not just leave because they dislike the product - sometimes they leave because the process feels like work.
🗝️ Great founders notice shifts before they become obvious. Jennifer’s lens is not just fashion - it’s paying attention to how people, especially women, are changing, and building from that insight.
👓 The future of fashion isn’t just buying more - it’s unlocking what already exists.
❗ Resilience is easier when your identity is bigger than your company - business can be hard, but perspective is everything.
