In our luxury obsessed culture, everyone wants a designer bag; make it the ‘IT’ bag of the moment and that’s even better. However, just because you want something, it doesn’t necessarily mean you can afford it, especially with rent prices skyrocketing in Toronto. For most of us, designer bags aren’t easily accessible, but a company called KukaMelon wants to change that. This new Toronto startup rents designer handbags for an extremely affordable price of $39.00!
If you’re wondering how this is even possible, KukaMelon is a subscription based service that allows you to rent one designer handbag per month. Along with the $39.00/month bag subscription, they also rent designer sunglasses for $29.00/month. Once you’re finished using the item (or the month is up), simply ship it back with the provided prepaid return label and voila – a new bag or pair of sunglasses will be sent to you again.
According to co-founder, Raya Al-khudairi, the idea here is to make designer fashion way more accessible for people like you and me. Raya admits to previously spending hundreds of dollars on purses and sunglasses, only to be worn for a month or little more. It’s this concept of there always being something new and better that is the foundation of KukaMelon.
Having an urge to try out the service, I signed up for both the bag and sunglass subscription. Using several keys markers (ease of service, selection, timeliness, and cleanliness), here’s what I thought about KukaMelon!
Instagram/@kuka_melon
Ease of Service
The service is incredibly easy to sign up for online. Simply go to the products page where you can sign up for the handbag or sunglasses subscriptions, or both. The items I received (Michael Kors tote bag and Rayban sunglasses) came in pretty packaging that could be reused for return purposes. KukaMelon includes the prepaid return label inside; simply bring the package to your local post office with the return label when it’s time to ship it back.
Selection
As of now, KukaMelon has an okay selection with current brands being: Rayban, Burberry, Tory Burch, Police, Coach, Ralph Lauren, Armani Exchange, Oakley, Michael Kors and Tom Ford as sunglass options, and Kate Spade, Long Champ, Coach, Michael Kors, Tory Burch, Marc Jacobs, Vince Camuto, Fossil, and Cole Haan for bags. However, Raya states KukaMelon has plans to target other big name designers like Chanel, Gucci, Dior, and Louis Vuitton in the future. In addition to that, there is potential for them to expand into luxury winter wear brands as well.
Photo via kukamelon
Timeliness
In terms of timeliness and how long it took to receive the items, I had no issues here. Both the bag and the sunglasses were shipped and arrived at my place in under a week. However, the items were shipped from Mississauga to Toronto, so I’m not sure if different cities will have different standard delivery times.
Cleanliness
The Michael Kors Tote and Rayban sunglasses were both in stellar condition. I checked each item for any marks or debris (especially in the bag compartments) and everything was spotless. Despite being a rental service, both items also were showing essentially no wear so I’m under the impression that KukaMelon treats and cares for their items very well.
Overall, KukaMelon is a great service if designer bags or sunglasses are outside of your budget, or you’re looking to switch it up and rock something new every month. The only qualm I had with the service as a whole is that the preference section where you indicate what you want is not very extensive. It only asks what style of bag and what colours you want. For the purpose of this article I selected all options just to see what would turn up, but personally I would prefer to be able to be given a few bag and sunglass options each month and choose out of those.
If you’re interested in receiving new designer bags and/or sunglasses every month, I would definitely suggest giving KukaMelon a try! Head over to their Instagram to get a sneak peek of some of the available bags and sunglasses.
Featured Image: Instagram/@Kuka_Melon
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Life in Toronto means countless opportunities to dress to impress– whether attending one of the city’s countless fundraisers or fashion shows, or sipping cocktails in a luxury hotel lobby.
Naturally, maintaining a wardrobe full of never-been-Instagrammed clothing costs money, considering that your social calendar is usually jam-packed and money is something most Toronto millennials lack thanks to crazy high living costs. Dishing out so many dollars just to keep a roof above your head usually means small spaces and closets that are practically bursting at the seams.
In our age of minimalism, however (and helping the small condo cause), we increasingly value experiences – like concerts, festivals, and travel – over the accumulation of things. Here’s where renting clothes comes in to play and why it’s become so popular.
In addition to bricks and mortar shops and showrooms, the online clothing rental industry has particularly gained quick traction.
South of the border, subscription-based clothing rental has taken off in a major way in recent years, with Rent the Runway raising $210-million since 2009. The company allows women to rent up to four pieces at a time for $159 per month.
In the past few years, the clothing rental scene has also taken off in Toronto. While renting suits has obviously been commonplace for decades, people are now renting everything from ball gowns and designer purses, to fascinators, sunglasses, and even office attire.
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Rent, Frock, and Repeat – the pioneer in Toronto’s dress and accessory rental scene, recently took a cue from the U.S. by increasing its offerings to include everyday wear and adopting a subscription-based business model starting July 2019.
Members will be able to rent workwear, weekend wear, and outerwear, and will receive a monthly box of clothing delivered to their home. The pieces can be selected by customers, or curated by an in-house stylist. The company has just closed the doors to its physical showroom, and regular dress rentals are currently on hold, but will resume renting online in the summer as part of the subscription service.
Meanwhile, Studio Fitzroy has become a quick to go of Toronto’s society page regulars in recent years. The spot – which compares itself to your best friend’s closet, only “with better stuff” – recently outgrew its original location, moving to a much bigger spot in the city’s west end. Their sprawling showroom is open seven days a week, with no appointment necessary. In addition to dresses, you can also rent an assortment of handbags and fascinators of all colours.
Instagram/@fitzroyrentals
Most recently, startup KukaMelon launched in Toronto to offer sunglass and handbag rental on a subscription basis.
For $39 per month, subscribers can expect a prettily packaged designer purse delivered to their homes each month. They can also opt for sunglasses for $29 per month. Users ship their borrowed goods back after 30 days, unless they opt to extend the rental on a monthly basis.
Whereas it may cost, say, $500 (or more) for a designer dress in-store, rentals at Studio Fitzroy, for example, range from around $60 to $110 – a way more affordable alternative, especially for a frock you’re only going to wear once. Particularly if it’s an attention-grabbing dress – and most are – odds are it’s going to sit neglected in your closet for a good three years until the social media snap of you wearing it for the first time is buried far enough down.
Instagram/ @fitzroyrentals
If a showstopper is what you’re in the market for, renting may then be the smartest bet.
On the other hand, my closet is also full of timeless go-to black cocktail dresses that have each been worn multiple times – essential staples that can be faithfully pulled on a whim. When I purchase dresses in particular, I often base my decision on an estimated cost-per-wear breakdown.
Aside from saving money and closet space on clothing, renting clothes may also be seen as an ethical choice, as recycling clothing means less waste.
The move away from a wardrobe full of “fast fashion” or “disposable fashion” – A.K.A. the H&M and Forever 21s of the world – means that a growing number of people are also renting clothing in the interest of sustainability and keeping discarded clothes from piling up in landfills. With disposable fashion, both the style and the quality tend to have a short shelf life. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Textiles Economy Report, the average number of times a garment is worn has decreased by 36 per cent in the last 15 years.
When it comes to designers, renting also gets the brand in front of new customers who may not otherwise wear it – something particularly important for Canadian designers. Rent, Frock, and Repeat has always housed a huge selection of Canadian designers, including favourites like Narces.
When we live in a city of shared cars, homes, and lives (via social media), sharing clothing and accessories seems to make perfect sense.
Featured image: Instagram/ @fitzroyrentals
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