Designer Handbags for Hire
How to Rent a Chloe, Fendi, Gucci, Prada or Louis Vuitton Purse
Now, thanks to innovative fashion for hire companies, more US and British women can feel like a million dollars with a designer Chloe or Prada handbag on their arm.
What does a British 39 year-old mother of three and a policeman’s wife have in common with the catwalks of Paris, Milan and New York? Quite a lot it seems, according to the Daily Mail’s article of 4th October 2007, “Rent a designer handbag for as little as £12.50 per month.”
UK based Jo Trafford and her husband James, have taken advantage of the latest trend in bags for hire that has taken America by storm.
One of the most popular US websites is bagborrowsteal.com, which offers purse rental to members for a monthly fee. Join the queue alongside other women who want to parade a Prada or show off a Chanel and within a few days you’ll be sporting arm candy just like a celebrity.
Handbag Hire HQ is the UK equivalent of its US counterparts and was started by Jo and JamesTrafford in 2007. As someone who “developed a rather expensive Fendi habit”, reports the Mail, she and her husband decided to set up a handbag for hire company, allowing Jo to apply her knowledge and enable women to borrow a Balenciaga or oversized Birkin, or whatever else took their fancy, for a fraction of the purchase cost.
In England, British women’s obsession with handbags is referred to by the Daily Mail as “the Sienna Miller Syndrome” , in their article of the same name (30/08/07). Apparently, according to the Mail, today’s “average 30-year old owns 21 handbags, buying a new one every three months. These 30-somethings are influenced by celebrities such as Sienna Miller and Lindsay Lohan, as celeb watching has grown into a popular pastime.
However, all this adds up to a costly obsession especially if you hanker after the real thing. At around $2,500 for a Chloe Paddington bag or $1,900 for a Prada Glace Bauletto not many average women can afford such a costly habit and continue to keep up with the trends.
Why Hire a Handbag?
- Apart from the obvious economic advantages one of the main reasons is to “dress to impress” at a special occasion such as a wedding or important business meeting.
- Another benefit is the opportunity to try out a particular bag before parting with your hard earned cash, should you be considering buying it. After all, if you hanker after a Hermes or fantasize over a Fendi Baguette, this is not some high-street chain store purchase that you can afford to leave sitting in the bottom of your wardrobe if it turns out to be a big disappointment.
- Instead of buying just a single designer bag, Handbag Hire HQ asks “Why spend all that money on one bag when you could have a new bag every month - or even every week?”
- This is a perfect gift for the woman who has everything. Gift certificates or cards are available for purchase, providing the recipient with an unusual and memorable gift.
How to Rent a Bag?
Handbag rental companies work on the same basic principle such as Bag Borrow Steal and Handbag Hire UK. Become a member by making monthly payments and then pay an additional fee, which varies depending on the type and value of the bag. Purses are selected from the online collection and ordered for a designated time period of weeks or months. For some of the most popular bags there is a waiting list.
Handbag Hire HQ operates in the UK only and provides a pre-paid envelope for the bag’s safe return.
According to their website, Jo and James provide an option for a used bag to be purchased outright at a reduced rate, should a customer grow too attached to it. It is also possible for the period of bag loan to be extended, on request.
Amazingly, since it inception in July 2007, Handbag Hire HQ has not (yet) experienced problems with a bag’s return. Says Jo Trafford, in the Mail’s article, “Rent a designer handbag…”, “So far we have been very lucky, customers have been returning them in pristine condition.”
