CLOAN is a fashion rental brand.

But the reason we’re getting together with Rachel here is that, after less than two years in business, she’s already breaking away from the outdated stereotypes of the rental industry and has established a concession stand in one of the most upmarket department stores in the North East, building on the space CLOAN already occupies in Fenwick’s York outpost.

And what seems apt about meeting in Fenwick’s Personal Shopping Suite is CLOAN’s simultaneous reaction to, and rebellion against, what is being termed ‘the death of the high street’.

‘I don’t believe in-person shopping is dead,’ says Rachel. ‘It all goes back to trust. It’s so valuable to customers to have somewhere you can try pieces on and figure out what suits you, especially with designer garments. And it’s hard to cut through the noise online to establish yourself as a brand people can rely on.

‘I’d love CLOAN to have a physical presence in most UK cities in the future.’

The attraction of CLOAN is three-fold: sustainability, savings and self-expression.

The reduced carbon footprint of renting an outfit, and allowing others to rent that same outfit, rather than fuelling the demand to make multiple copies of that same item is perhaps the most obvious draw to CLOAN. Not to mention how this then impacts the ethical quandary of underpaid, underage workers making those clothes.

But while we’ve all been conditioned to perceive value as what we own, the financial benefits of paying £25 to wear a designer dress for a weekend rather than £1,000 for it to then remain in our wardrobes forever can’t be underestimated. We are living in a cost-of-living crisis, after all.

As for the self-expression element, this was something Rachel particularly wanted to see more of in the industry as a consumer herself.

Especially now we’re seeing a new preoccupation with individualism, thanks to the rise of social media.

Celebrities have always been style icons, but it seems more of us are turning to the more relatable fashion influencers we see on our Instagram feeds to discover street style and occasion wear that works on our bodies, complements our colours, doesn’t hurt our pockets and feeds into styles like ours.

‘The inclusivity that we’re now seeing across the board in magazines and on TV is definitely the result of social media making it publicly acceptable to be bigger or have darker skin or be queer,’ Rachel reasons. ‘Edward Enninful has obviously made huge steps at Vogue, too, but I feel like that wouldn’t have happened if they didn’t see that it wasn’t a risk to include more diverse people in their campaigns.

‘I think there’s a psychology where, when you’re looking at social media rather than a print magazine, you almost feel like you’re getting a style tip from a friend. There’s something familiar there, because you know their life, what their house looks like, where they’ve been on holiday. Again, it goes back to that element of trust, and I feel like we have that at CLOAN, too. Women have been borrowing clothes from each other since the age of about 12 – we’re just making it more formal.’

It would be easy to think of the woman behind a luxury fashion brand such as CLOAN as being aloof.

But in person, Rachel is as affable as she is passionate – a trend setter, a Geordie, a boss and a mum, (not in that order). A self-confessed ‘fashion magpie’ with an eye for a bargain and a weakness for a good hairband.

Northumbria University has one of the most prestigious Fashion departments outside of London, and it was here that Rachel first directed her love for styling into a career path.

But despite a firm grounding in the theory of fashion design, her first job in the industry didn’t quite go to plan.

‘I’d been applying to design jobs straight out of Uni, but I was impatient so I’d also applied to some buying jobs. My first job was on the buying floor in Arcadia as a Buying Assistant. It involved a lot of admin, which really isn’t something I’m good at, so it was pretty painful.

‘My Senior Buyer even pulled me to one side and said: “look, you’re really not very good at this job. But what I will say for you is, you know every single person on the shop floor. Have you ever thought about PR?” I’d never considered it before. But I took their advice, ended up working in the Arcadia press office for six years, and never looked back.’

As Rachel transitioned from colourful outfit to colourful outfit in record time during our shoot – accompanying each metamorphosis with a steady stream of commentary on the fashion industry or a play-by-play of the accessories that could work with each combo she’d brought with her – we couldn’t help but smile when, at one point, she likened herself to a Duracell bunny.

But underneath the youthful enthusiasm, there’s a stability, resilience and drive in Rachel’s character which often proves to become the bedrock of any successful business owner. It’s a combination between a creative impatience with what already exists and knowing that your vision for the future is worthy.

‘The next step for CLOAN is to scale up,’ she tells us. ‘I need to make it what it needs to be. The brand has been completely self-funded so far (more self-funded than my husband probably knows!), and it can just tick over as it is, but it’s got so much potential. I really believe in CLOAN. So, it needs investment.’

And if she were to secure that investment, one of Rachel’s ambitions for CLOAN once again demonstrates her deftness at harnessing inspiration from the digital revolution for the purposes of real life.