Designer Wear on Rent – Here’s is what we call it – the ‘Transient Trousseau’. Hyderabadi outlet of Flyrobe owned by Swetha Reddy stocks dresses for celebratory moments – big and small – from noted designers to luxury branded clothes that can be rented.
“Outfits on rent, memories that are permanent’ says Swetha Reddy about Flyrobe
in an interview with N Sai Varshini
In a world where squandering our way through life has become the new normal, sustainability is highly sought after! Flyrobe is one of those enterprises that understands the criticality of being sustainable. Flyrobe is a chain of fashion rentals that is spread out in over 30 cities in India. Aanchal Saini is the founder of the organisation which originally started in Delhi. Flyrobe features fashionable luxury designer garments for men and women. It offers bridal and non-bridal lehengas, gowns, partywear, sarees, sherwanis, suits & jewellery on flexible rentals. The dresses can be rented out for 4 days and more at a marginal percentage of the garment’s actual price.
“Flyrobe has successfully built a community of renters through its C2C [customer to customer] model over the years. The unique model allows individuals from all across India to rent out their outfits through Flyrobe and also earn money based on a rental share basis.”
“The intention behind this model is to enable everyone to participate in the circular economy. Often, outfits like bridal lehengas and groom sherwanis are worn only once and then stored away. These expensive garments have a short lifespan. By offering them for rent, we extend their usability and provide customers with fresh options, creating a mutually beneficial arrangement. Through timely repairs, careful maintenance, and proper care, we ensure that each garment reaches its full potential. This helps the renter earn up to 70% of the original cost of their outfit and some green points for the planet,” shares Swetha Reddy, owner of the new franchise store – Flyrobe in Hyderabad.
HOW IT ALL STARTED…..
The name Flyrobe comes with an idea of a flying wardrobe that could reach anyone and everyone. The owner of the Hyderabad’s franchise Swetha Reddy in an interview with Fridaywall shared that she had always wished for a more equitable and sustainable approach to fashion, when she noticed the amount of money she spent getting new outfits for every other wedding in the family. She says Flyrobe made it happen! She also shared that it used to break her heart to see expensive outfits lying there in her closet, which is when she chose to start the designer wear rental store in Hyderabad.
HOW RENTING WORKS…
“We have gathered so much quality and quantity in clothing, that now we want it to reach many people. If somebody can afford a dress for 2 lakhs, we give them a choice to take ten dresses in that price. The options are huge and we want to give dresses on rent at reasonable price – at 10-15% of the MRP. We don’t plan to rent each item for 50-60 times because we want to maintain the quality and give best to our customers. We plan to change the clothes every six months based on what we see that is good, what is bad, what can be rented out.” explains Swetha.
“The rental cost is for one day but as a service we provide the dress for 4 days. Customers can rent it for 6 days or 10 days also, but there will be extra charges, 15% on the whole rent,” she adds.
The brand refreshes the inventory every 6 months during which time they check the quality and condition of the garments and update the collection to the trends in fashion. The structural integrity of the garment that is rented out is maintained, and a dress is not rented out for more than 10-15 times to maintain its authenticity.
According to Swetha the most challenging part of starting a business so far, was setting up the store with all the fancy interiors and ensuring it always looks aesthetically pleasing for the customers. And the best part for her is when she sees her customers find the perfect dress of their dreams, their gleaming eyes and happy souls.
WHAT MORE…
The staff is friendly and accommodating, and they are trained to patiently help customers go through the collections and choose their fit. The store offers an in-house tailor to alter the garments. The store also provides a wide range of semi stitched lehengas that would be stitched according to the renter. They also feature a photoshoot area in their studio for models, fashion designers and makeup artists with special offer packages.
WHAT MAKES FLYROBE UNIQUE
What sets Flyrobe apart in the rental space in addition to the designer range on offer is the ultimate deep cleaning that the garments go through after every rental. The collection includes latest styles in lehenga and suit, from pastels to vibrant and bold colours & heavily embellished to subtle sheens. Flyrobe as a business model has a comprehensive approach including an online channel strategy. It has the largest rental fashion inventory in India with an outstanding customs management. The brand is well structured with chain of rentals catering to 200k customers throughout the year – both online and offline. While the customers appreciate their conduct and sanitation they maintain, Flyrobe on their part tries best not to charge customers extra over minor issues like clumsy stains. They might however charge their customers for losing parts of the applique. What more Flyrobe store has made choosing the right dress an experience on its own. They also offer trial heels for women to levitate the experience of trying on a lehenga.
HOW TO FIND DESIGNER WEAR ON RENT AT FLYROBE….
Its pretty easy to rent at Flyrobe! All you have to do is go to the store in your city, or else visit their handy and efficient website to check out their fashionable pieces.
Website: https://flyrobe.com
