Of Deja-worn designs

Bengaluru: Closets bursting with clothes but still miffed about what to wear? A number of youngsters in the city are hopping on the re-commerce bandwagon and are building their own virtual closets. This not just allows people to buy, sell or rent second hand designer clothing, accessories and bags for instant cash but also lets you shop for giant brands for 70 per cent discount off retail! This concept that’s kicking up a fashion detox of sorts is now catching up in namma city.

“With an increase in consumption triggered by perpetual offers, sales and discounts, people are spending their money and destroying the planet for future generations. All so that we could enjoy a short lifetime full of material possessions that in many cases were hardly used, rarely necessary and easily forgotten,” says 24-year-old Samridhi Agarwal who founded Revamp my Closet to propagate sustainable consumption.

This, she started after her wedding so that her beautiful wedding dress, the ruffle blouse she once wore and her perfect Little Black Dress would have a new lease of life in someone else’s closet. That is the thought that gave rise to Nikita Agarwal and Umang Chordia’s portal, Once Again as well.

“This was built around the concept that you should never have to wear the same outfit twice. We believe that each day is a page in the chapter of your life and each outfit you wear has a story to tell. After finishing their part in your lives, your clothes deserve to go to a new home,” says Nikita, a BBM student from St Josephs College of Commerce. “We thought, why not help women declutter their closets profitably while revolutionising second-hand fashion in India,” adds Umang, who launched their website earlier this year. These fashion portals update their merchandise every week, check the authenticity of the brands and pack them a la new before making them available at throwaway prices. Think highflying brands like Ralph Lauren, Armani, Alexander Mcqueen, Gucci and Bershka to the more affordable of the aspirational variety like Zara, Mango, Vero Moda, French Connection, and these are available — just a click away. These Bengaluru-based portals are now spreading their wings across other cities as well with umbai, Chennai, Pune and Hyderabad ruling the roost.

“We’ve realised that most of them shop for brands that are inaccessible online or don’t offer hefty discounts at stores,” says Palkush Chawla, cofounder of Elanic, a Koramangala-based fashion app that saw over 2,000 downloads in a couple of weeks. Working with a group of 24-year-olds, he says most of their customers are looking for fast funds for their next big purchase, “And store credit or cash is a great way to get there instead of allowing their clothes to sit in their closets,” he says. To draw compulsive shoppers away from websites and physical stores, these youngsters have unique offerings that go beyond the price! For instance, Samridhi’s portal has added wedding couture to the mix while Nikita and Umang are introducing men’s clothing and an auction feature where the buyer can bid for a price. If you want an outfit put together for a Sunday brunch, date night or a formal lunch, and don’t want to buy it, there’s a way for that too. “Whether it’s a sari, Anarkali, a jumpsuit or a maxi dress, I just rent it out in my size and it’s at my doorstep in less than three hours,” says model Sharon Shibu, about Klozee, a city-based platform that allows you to rent out designer outfits for a point of its retail price and offers express delivery too. With this, we guess the fashion universe just exploded with happiness.