Rent designer clothes and accessories

Instead of buying, renting offers more choices and leads to savings

Buy nothing. Own everything, says the home page of Flyrobe.com, a website that allows you to rent designer outfits.

Shreya Mishra, chief executive officer and co-founder, describes Flyrobe.com as an online and on-demand wardrobe, where one can order anything at the click of a button. “You pay a fraction of the price and in the budget of buying one, you can try out seven different themes,” she says. Mishra is not the only player trying to attract urban India to rent designer wear instead of buying it. There is swishlist.in, theclothingrental.com, blinge.in and others in this business.

There are takers as well. A Ritu Kumar kurti could set you back by Rs 1,500 to Rs 7,000 or more. Renting it could come at a fraction, sometimes as low as 10 per cent. But, are women willing to rent clothes worn by others, even if it is cost-effective?

Yes, according to Radhika Bansal, co-founder of swishlist.in, another website that offers designer outfits on rent. “Today, with Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook, women don’t want to repeat anything you have been photographed in,” she says.

While people want to experiment with designer wear, they may not see value in investing in it, as it is seasonal and not something they would want to repeat after a couple of years. This makes the idea of renting designer clothes more appealing, adds Bansal.

The fact that several Bollywood celebrities endorse such websites is an indication of the quality and variety they offer.

Garima Shewkani, a Thane resident who is on a break from her job to pursue higher studies, has rented both ethnic and western outfits from Flyrobe. One occasion was Diwali, when people traditionally buy and wear new clothes. “I spent only Rs 800-900, whereas otherwise I would have spent Rs 3,000-4,000 for buying a dress,” she says.  

The choice is between spending Rs 3,000 on two Western dresses that she would wear just once or twice in a year and having 300 different varieties to choose from, she explains. “Buying a dress by designer Masaba Gupta can cost Rs 7,000-10,000. But, you can rent the same dress for Rs 1,000-2,000,” she said. Women, especially those in the age group of 22-35 years. find the variety and convenience more attractive than the saving on cost.

Convenience is the name of the game

Flyrobe and Swishlist offer both Indian and Western wear. Once you choose the outfit, mention the date you want it and make the payment. It will be delivered to your address and also picked up after you have used it. Flyrobe takes three days to deliver and Swishlist delivers in two days. The pick-up can be done after the event or depending on your convenience. Swishlist also offers an option to keep the outfit for up to seven days if you are travelling or going for a destination wedding, for an extra charge. “Instead of having a rotating door of outfits that you constantly invest in, this alternative is better, especially for high-ticket items,” says Bansal.

Some like Flyrobe offer alteration in the case of ethnic wear. Swishlist does not offer customisation. But, you can return the outfit and get rental charge back, minus delivery charges and tax.

Cost

The charge for renting a designer outfit is 10-15 per cent of the outfit’s retail price. If it costs Rs 30,000, the rental would be Rs 4,000-4,500. If it costs Rs 1 lakh, the rental would be Rs 10,000-12,000.

Flyrobe charges a security deposit for ethnic wear, 20 per cent of the retail price. For instance, a Rs 50,000 lehenga set will cost Rs 5,000-7,500 to rent and the security deposit will be Rs 10,000.

Swishlist charges 10-12 per cent of the retail price as rent and 50 per cent of the rental as security deposit for any outfit. The security deposit is refundable in both cases.

Damages, return policy

In the case of minor damage like a zipper getting stuck, a small tear or stain, both websites do not charge anything. If it is a bigger damage, Swishlist will deduct a certain amount from the security deposit. It can also charge in excess, up to 150 per cent of the cost of the outfit, if it is completely damaged and cannot be repaired. In such a case, customers can keep the outfit. “Such a situation has not arisen so far,” says Bansal.

Flyrobe, too, charges customers the cost incurred on repairing damage. If the outfit is altered, money is deducted from the security deposit if it is ethnic wear. If it is Western wear, the customer is asked to purchase the outfit. Swishlist charges 25 per cent of the rental fee if the outfit is returned after the return date. Thereafter, for every day the return is delayed (up to 14 days), there is a daily late fee charge of 50 per cent of the rental fee. From the 16th day, you will be charged a final late fee of 150 per cent of the retail value, less any late charges you have already paid.

Hygiene

All outfits undergo dry cleaning and steam ironing to ensure hygiene. When their looks start fading or they get damaged, they are taken off the website and disposed of.