Devi’s Closet doing brisk business in the US

When in NY college, Meera Patel and Sheena Patel

were roommates and because of their love for clothes, they ended up launching an e-commerce platform called Devi's Closet that rents luxury designer Indian clothes and accessories at affordable rates to fashion-savvy women. To rent a particular clothing, a customer must visit the site (deviscloset. com), and the outfits are sent to them in prepaid packaging before the event for which they need it. Once the need is over, customers must re-pack the outfit and send it back.

Less than two years after it was founded in 2011, Devi's Closet, which appears to be the first-ever online boutique in the United States that rents Indian party wear for men and women, is doing brisk business. Compared to the first quarter of last year, sales have quadrupled this year. It has also tripled user base in one year.

The platform has found followers of Indian as well as American origin because of their love for Indian clothing. With many high-profile foreign celebs donning Indian attire or clothes designed by Indian designers at important social gatherings, many people are grabbing similar clothes instead of spending a huge amount on buying a designer dress for a single occasion. They prefer renting it out to fulfil their wishes.

Outfits are custom made to cater the US market. The list of designers include: Payal Singhal, Anita Dongre, Amrita Singh, Isharya, Ritu Kumar, Anupamaa Dayal, Ashish and Viral Parikh, Gopi Vaid Nautanky and Nupur Mehta. The rental rates at Devi's Closet start at around 40 dollars (over Rs 2,000) for outfits and 15 dollars (over Rs 800) for accessories. The most expensive piece costs just 150 dollars (around Rs 8,000) to rent for four days.