Flyrobe, a Mumbai-based online fashion rental service, is taking the fashion world by storm. Launched in September last year by a bunch of IT graduates, the startup claims to have transacted with 1,000 customers already, and closed 2015 with 100 customers on a single day – when it was just 15 weeks old.
The concept of collective consumption is still nascent in India and has largely seen action in the transportation, accommodation, and food and beverages sectors. But online fashion rental firms like Flyrobe, Klozee, The Clothing Rental, and SwishList are giving the story of India’s shared economy a twist.
"We want to be to clothes what Uber and Ola are to cabs," Sreejita Deb, their chief business officer, says. Flyrobe estimates that the fashion rental market, including western and ethnic wear in large Indian cities, is worth USD4-5 billion. And in this space, it claims to be surging ahead.