Luxury goods are becoming ever more expensive, which means the pool of those able to afford them is shrinking, says Zhang Jun, founder of StarLuxe. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Chinese consumers spent more than 500 billion yuan ($72 billion) on luxury items last year, and that Chinese buy one-third of the world's luxury goods, according to Mckinsey, an international consulting firm.

The annual reports of several luxury goods groups have also described China as the strongest growth region, and the rate of growth shows no signs of abating, the report said. This means that by 2024 China will account for 40 percent of the world's luxury goods spending.

StarLuxe says that more than 40 percent of those who begin using its services are already luxury goods high rollers, spending more than 200,000 yuan a year on luxury items, and only 25 percent of its users are what might be regarded as ordinary consumers, with salaries between 10,000 yuan and 20,000 yuan a month.

This suggests that rental luxury clothing encourages heavy spenders to spend even more and coaxes less well-off consumers who would otherwise spend nothing into the fold.