For everybody who has had to go through the pain of not being able to wear an outfit just because of its exorbitant price, there’s good news. Bengaluru has managed to find a midway. With almost half the city’s population finding solace in rental outlets, now one can flaunt their favourite outfit without the commitment of splurging a month’s salary on it! For prices starting at Rs 500, you can now make all your high-end couture dreams come true.
From brands to accessories and footwear to jewellery, Bengaluru has always been the quickest to catch up with trends. Which is probably why city-based boutiques didn’t take much time to offer the fashion fraternity a chance to wear outfits without commitments. The concept is pretty simple: Choose your outfit, get it fitted, rent it for a certain amount and ensure you return it without any damage. “Initially we thought only party hoppers and people with customary graduation day dress-codes would flock in. It was rather shocking to see that even brides and grooms coming in to choose and get fitted for their wedding outfits,” says city-based designer Shweta Poddar, who owns a rental outlet. “However, we also understand that the chances of some mishap to the dress is always there, so demand a security deposit beforehand and also get fabric experts to examine the clothes and then gauge the remuneration that the client has to pay.”
As 26-year-old product designer Archana J says, “One of the biggest fashion dilemmas that us millennials have to face is spotting the most gorgeous dress ever but then returning empty handed, because the price tag is beyond a punch in the pocket!” Unanimously, the rest of the young crowd residing in the city would agree too. “It is probably almost every person’s biggest dream to be just able to wear outfits without the slightest care about the price tag,” she adds, laughing. “This is what makes the idea of resting clothes so appealing. You can flaunt a Gucci without having to actually pay the price.”
Priyanka Vinod, another fashion blogger believes that the Indian market still has a long way to go when it comes to renting clothes. “With commodities, the idea and market is a lot faster. But since it’s clothing, people are a hesitant. However, these outlets do offer high end brands at a lower price, which definitely proves to be beneficial,” she adds.
