Rent a bag

What say you on the issue below?

When times are bad, rent a bag! Bags In The City is Kuala Lumpur’s only rent-a-bag service offering Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Coach, Barbara Rihl etc.

It used to be when times were tough, the tough went shopping. Perhaps it is still so but these days the tough may do so lugging rented bags.

With designer bag rental outfit, Bags In The City, now open for business, you can now swing the coolest bags and enjoy instant gratification without breaking the bank or buckling under a mountain of debt. Why buy just one bag when you can have tote different ones every few days?

After all, most do not carry the same designer bag 24/7 for 10 years even if it is a Hermes crocodile Birkin with diamond buckles and costs around RM800,000? We need variety in life!

Kuala Lumpur already has several stores selling second-hand designer bags but they are still not dirt cheap. Each costs at least a few thousand ringgit, even if they are half-priced. Bags In The City, in comparison, starts from just RM25 to RM172 per week.

Founder of Bags in the City, Tan Kheng Hua.

Tan Kheng Hua, founder and managing director of Bags In The City, says, “Designer bag rental is common in developed countries, and now it is Malaysia’s turn. Bags In The City is synonymous with the phrase: Bag, Borrow or Steal, made famous by the hit TV series Sex In The City.

“In today’s fast moving consumer market, discerning customers prefer variety on a rented basis rather than outright ownership. Only the very rich can afford to buy a designer bag she will probably use for only a few weeks or months before being mothballed.

“Bags In The City offers variety, convenience and multiple choices without one having to come up with expensive capital upfront. A Louis Vuitton or Gucci bag is at least RM3,000, which can be a heavy outlay if you like half a dozen!”

Some famous labels come up with four collections a year which means a new must-have bag every few months, which is tough if your salary is RM3,500 and your sugar daddy is not so sweet in these recessionary days.

“It is impossible for the fashionista-on-a-budget to keep up with ever-changing trends,” says Tan.

“Bags In The City offers the best of both worlds. Rent a bag that catches your eye. If you fall in love and cannot part with it, you can buy it! But you must rent it for at least a week before you can purchase. Which normal store would allow you to try out the bag for seven days before deciding you can’t live without it? Sometimes I buy a bag only to regret it,” says Tan.

Having been in such a fix, Tan, formerly from the public relations and event management industry, decided to help others brandish designer bags without having to eat instant noodles for the next six months.

“Bag rental is a new concept. The customer views and chooses the bag from www.bagsinthecity.com.my, pays online via credit card, and the bag is delivered to anywhere in Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya or Cyberjaya for an additional RM25. Or they can come pick it up from my shop off Jalan Imbi.

A Marc Jacobs bag to shock.

“There are no deposits or hidden charges either. With Bags In The City, women can say bye-bye to bag boredom and hello to exciting new bags for a fraction of the cost. No more crammed closets full of out-of-date old bags which you might give away or sell at huge discounts,” says Tan.

Most of the bags are under RM4,000 since they don’t stock high-end, limited edition bags that can cost up to RM20,000.

A Whiting & Davis evening bag rents for as little as RM25 a week but popular, well-known brands go for over RM100, like the Gucci Hysteria Clutch (RM116), Gucci Borsa Abbey (RM135), Gucci Gold Hobo (RM135), Louis Vuitton Damier Speedy (RM162), Louis Vuitton Monogram Speedy (RM158), Marc Jacobs Flat Green Hobo (RM99) and Coach Tatoo Tote (RM92).

“Currently there are six brands including Barbara Rihl and Whiting & Davis but bags by Chanel, Prada, Burberry and Dior are also on their way. Launched only on July 27, Bags In The City has struck the right chord.

“There is no one age, race or income group among the customers. I have office girls, executives, businesswomen and Datin-datin as the clientele is surprisingly diverse. Some wealthy ladies told me Bags In The City is a godsend as they get bored with the same bag quickly and do not wish to tie up their money,” smiles Tan.