At the recent G7 Summit, Carrie Johnson – wife of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson – was widely applauded for her stylish and sustainable wardrobe choices, which included an array of outfits from designer rental platforms.
Two weeks earlier, she had worn a rented dress for her wedding. Many British tabloids are comparing Johnson's sartorial sway to that of the Duchess of Cambridge, but Johnson's approach to fashion could inspire attitudes that run deeper than mere aesthetics. A turn to eco-friendlier fashion on the political red carpet may trickle down to the masses, where the market for rental fashion is already burgeoning.
The global fashion rental industry was valued at $1.26 billion in 2019, according to a Research and Markets’ Online Clothing Rental Market report, and is projected to reach $2.08bn by 2025. Numerous fashion start-ups have entered this space, both globally and regionally.
In Dubai, Sophie Kjoller and Kelly Power are the founders of Best Kept Shared, a peer-to-peer luxury fashion rental platform launching in July and aiming to become the “Airbnb of designer fashion”. The “social style of shopping” will feature women’s designer clothing, handbags and accessories from members’ closets, and will be initially available to a closed community.
The pair trialled the concept in December for New Year's Eve as a market test, and found it to be a viable business model, despite the pandemic.
A sustainable solution
Sustainability is a key driver of this market.
"The fashion industry is the world's second biggest pollutant, currently accounting for around 10 per cent of humanity's carbon emissions and 20 per cent of wastewater," Kjoller tells The National. "On average we buy more than 50 new articles of clothing annually and roughly 50 per cent of those items will be worn three times or less."
The best thing one can do to reduce the environmental impact of their wardrobe, she says, is to increase the number of times each item is worn: “We believe that if you cannot wear an item at least 30 times, then you shouldn’t own it, you should rent it.”
The Guardian recently named rental fashion platforms "the industry's 2020 success story", but entrepreneurs have been laying the groundwork for the past half-decade.
In 2016, Shika Bodani, who lives between Dubai and London, founded Front Row, a luxury on-loan service in the UK, to “democratise” designer fashion. She believes that the pandemic has helped fuel demand for fashion that’s affordable, accessible and sustainable.
“The pandemic further polarised views around materialism, over-consumption and sustainability. The rental model appeals to a more sustainably minded generation and has benefits to both consumers and brands,” she explains.
The luxury twist
The rental start-ups currently in vogue are a far cry from the dowdy thrift shops of old – with their focus on luxury.
Dubai fashion-for-hire platform SW One for instance, founded by Sawsan Waleed, stocks couture and ready-to-wear gowns by brands like Gucci, Valentino and Zuhair Murad (including gowns and clutches that are one-off pieces), sourced from the world’s fashion capitals.
While many are available only in one size, SW One offers alteration services for the ultimate “red carpet” styling experience. Waleed points out that besides being cost-effective, an advantage of renting fashion is that it doesn’t require long-term storage space.
And, with venues resuming pre-pandemic operations, and weddings and gala dinners back on the calendar, she believes the time is ripe for women to seek attire and accessories to rent for these occasions.
Front Row delivers a luxury end-to-end experience, inclusive of personalised customer service and luxurious packaging.
“We want our customers to have the same aspirational experience that they would get if they walked into a designer store,” says Bodani.
Best Kept Shared is also wrapping its humble concept with extravagance – a concierge service will wait outside a renter’s home once items are delivered, so that they can be tried on, as per the brand’s “fit guarantee”. All clothes are dry-cleaned before being returned to the owner.
Surpassing social stigmas
In the past, fashion rentals were tainted with scepticism in the Middle East. “Honestly, in the very beginning, customers refused to rent a gown if it was worn or rented previously, mainly because of the gossip, given that the community in the UAE is flooded with family and social events,” says Waleed.
But she and Bodani, who both launched their businesses in 2016, have witnessed a change in attitudes – renting and wearing pre-loved fashion has shed some of its stigma, especially when weighed with the eco-friendly benefits.
Kjoller reminds us that in the 1990s, vintage shopping was considered “cool” and borrowing clothes from friends was common. And while we may be witnessing a surge in fashion rental concepts in cosmopolitan cities across the globe, she believes it’s still a relatively untapped market in the UAE.
“Geographically, we are in a very unique location for fashion rental, with a high concentration of individuals who have under-utilised luxury items in their closets and an incredible demand from renters, thanks in part to our bustling dress-up-and-eat-out culture,” she says.
She envisions designer dresses and bags being the two most popular categories at Best Kept Shared, especially “statement pieces” that wouldn’t be worn that often by owners. Handbag renting has in fact emerged as its own micro-market niche, with regional players like Bagonista offering monthly membership packages and designer handbag rentals (Chanel, Dior and more) for as low as Dh200.
The double-edged sword of social media
Although social media is a major culprit of fast fashion, bloggers and trendsetters might just be the ones to help popularise fashion-renting platforms.
Power, co-founder of Best Kept Shared, says: “They have been expected to create and deliver content showcasing the newest pieces and trends on the daily and would be ‘shamed’ for wearing the same outfit twice… We’ve watched the rise of the Instagram ‘one wear’ phenomenon and the constant need for newness that it brings.”
However, fashion bloggers, she believes, are primely positioned to influence their followers to consume more responsibly.
“In 2020 something changed – we saw a movement take the social feeds by storm with influencers pushing back and promoting fashion circularity with trending hashtags like #rewear and #outfitrepeat,” she says.
This new generation of fashion enthusiasts deem environmentalism to be “on trend” and are looking for ways to become part of the sustainability solution, says Power, who has recruited influencers such as Ashley Al Busmait, Maha Gorton and Morgan Britt Butler in the UAE to be among the first members of the Best Kept Shared community.
“We’re giving them the opportunity to support fashion circularity, whilst also making an ROI (return on investment) on their initial fashion investments, and they jumped at the chance to join our closet in the cloud,” she says.
Although fashion rentals promote sustainability, they could still feed into the ego-driven demands of materialism, providing a way for women to constantly share photos of themselves in new ‘fits on the ‘gram' while saving money.
“With social media being so prevalent, there is a lot of pressure on the everyday woman to be seen in the latest branded clothing and never repeat an outfit,” says Bodani. “We’re ultimately giving them a ‘one-night stand’ with the fashion brand of their choice.”
This may just satiate the appetite of this generation of digital-savvy fashion enthusiasts, who devour a daily concoction of TikTok fashion videos, Instagram outfit posts and unboxing reels, and have been sucked deep into the ever-churning cycle of consumerism.
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
The BIO
Favourite piece of music: Verdi’s Requiem. It’s awe-inspiring.
Biggest inspiration: My father, as I grew up in a house where music was constantly played on a wind-up gramophone. I had amazing music teachers in primary and secondary school who inspired me to take my music further. They encouraged me to take up music as a profession and I follow in their footsteps, encouraging others to do the same.
Favourite book: Ian McEwan’s Atonement – the ending alone knocked me for six.
Favourite holiday destination: Italy - music and opera is so much part of the life there. I love it.
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
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MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Fernandes pen 2') Tottenham Hotspur 6 (Ndombele 4', Son 7' & 37' Kane (30' & pen 79, Aurier 51')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
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The years Ramadan fell in May
Federer's 19 grand slam titles
Australian Open (5 titles) - 2004 bt Marat Safin; 2006 bt Marcos Baghdatis; 2007 bt Fernando Gonzalez; 2010 bt Andy Murray; 2017 bt Rafael Nadal
French Open (1 title) - 2009 bt Robin Soderling
Wimbledon (8 titles) - 2003 bt Mark Philippoussis; 2004 bt Andy Roddick; 2005 bt Andy Roddick; 2006 bt Rafael Nadal; 2007 bt Rafael Nadal; 2009 bt Andy Roddick; 2012 bt Andy Murray; 2017 bt Marin Cilic
US Open (5 titles) - 2004 bt Lleyton Hewitt; 2005 bt Andre Agassi; 2006 bt Andy Roddick; 2007 bt Novak Djokovic; 2008 bt Andy Murray
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
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Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More on Quran memorisation:
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
2pm: Serve U – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Violent Justice, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
2.30pm: Al Shafar Investment – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,400m; Winner: Desert Wisdom, Bernardo Pinheiro, Ahmed Al Shemaili
3pm: Commercial Bank of Dubai – Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Fawaareq, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
3.30pm: Shadwell – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
4pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Rakeez, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar
4.30pm: Al Redha Insurance Brokers – Handicap (TB) Dh78,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Capla Crusader, Bernardo Pinheiro, Rashed Bouresly
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