On the afternoon of Jan. 16, Nguyen Nhung, 30, from Hanoi’s Tay Ho District and three of her colleagues visited a clothes store on Trang Quang Dieu Avenue, Dong Da District, searching for outfits to hire for his or her year-end social gathering. The entire group wanted to discover a white or pink costume to match the social gathering’s costume code.
Corporations in Vietnam usually maintain year-end events earlier than Tet (Lunar New Yr). Tet, Vietnam’s greatest and most essential competition, will final from Feb. 8 to 14, 2024. The standard competition will peak on Feb. 10.
Nhung stated that she has excessive requirements for garments and is hesitant to put on an outfit that has been photographed earlier than, so as an alternative she likes to hire completely different attire for various occasions.
The worth per rental for these designers’ merchandise vary from VND200,000-400,000 per product, whereas the shopping for value can go as much as a number of hundreds of thousands of dong.
“Shopping for new may be very wasteful, however renting means you might have stunning garments yearly that do not exit of fashion,” she stated. Nhung additionally stated that every 12 months she chooses a unique rental retailer to diversify her choices.
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Nguyen Nhung at a celebration costume rental retailer on Tran Quang Dieu Avenue, Hanoi’s Dong Da District, Jan. 16, 2024. Picture by VnExpress/ Quynh Nguyen |
Anh Thu, 28 years previous from Hanoi’s Cau Giay District, can also be renting a costume for a year-end social gathering.
She stated night robes are sometimes designed to be trendy, refined, and considerably seductive, so they’re solely appropriate for night events. To not point out that some attire price as much as tens of hundreds of thousands of dong, out of attain for somebody with an workplace wage like her.
“I am unable to spend a number of million dong to purchase a costume only for one night, I can’t put on it usually if I preserve it, can’t acquire a lot if I resell it, particularly when the economic system isn’t doing so effectively with our lowered salaries and lack of Tet bonuses,” Thu stated.
Two weeks earlier than the corporate social gathering, the 28-year-old woman went to well-known shops hoping to hire an appropriate costume.
The variety of individuals renting costumes for year-end events like Nhung and Thu tends to extend a few month earlier than Tet.
A current VnExpress survey confirmed that Vietnam is house to dozens of on-line teams and providers for renting and promoting outfits. The biggest group has 70,000 members, with about 40 new posts daily – most are about requests to hire attire for year-end events. Under the submit, many rental retailers promote their providers with contact data.
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Prospects browse designer outfits at a rental store on Tran Quang Dieu Avenue, Hanoi’s Dong Da District, Jan. 16. Picture by VnExpress/Quynh Nguyen |
Thu Thao, supervisor of a designer clothes rental retailer on Tran Quang Dieu Avenue, Dong Da District, stated demand for renting social gathering attire and ao dai tends to extend after the seventh lunar month of the Lunar Yr as a consequence of marriage ceremony season. The twelfth lunar month information the very best enhance in demand as a consequence of firms holding year-end events, she stated.
“Earlier than the pandemic, the demand for renting garments for year-end events elevated 3 times in comparison with different months. However as a consequence of unfavourable impacts on the economic system, this 12 months many firms don’t maintain year-end events, so the variety of leases is anticipated to solely double,” stated Thu Thao.
On common, Thao’s retailer serves about 40 prospects daily, and much more on weekends. With 300 completely different fashions of social gathering attire and ao dai, there was a time when prospects rented out almost three fourth of the merchandise, primarily black, white, or beige garments. Costs vary from VND200,000-600,000 per go to relying on the mannequin.
Along with Thao’s retailer, many clothes rental shops in Hanoi are additionally beginning to bustle on the finish of the 12 months. Prospects are principally workplace staff. Peak occasions to welcome guests are midday, night, and weekends.
“We regularly advise prospects to e-book prematurely to have a bigger variety of choices,” stated an worker of a clothes rental retailer in Cau Giay District.
Not solely in Vietnam, however clothes rental providers are additionally rising strongly globally, particularly after Covid-19 and the financial recession. In a examine in early 2023, world consulting agency Bain & Firm predicted that by 2030, second-hand style will account for about 20% of the style trade’s gross sales, of which providers for clothes leases account for about 10%.
Despite the fact that consultants predict a smaller buyer base for renting than shopping for second-hand gadgets, the potential continues to be there with 19% of shoppers planning to make use of this service over the subsequent 5 years, based on Globaldata.
Bain & Firm’s report additionally predicts “sustainable luxurious” might be a rising pattern within the subsequent decade, and the style rental trade is laying the muse. Some luxurious style manufacturers comparable to Maison Margiela, Marni, Pyer Moss, and Altuzarra additionally began to take part within the pattern by launching “borrowing rights” and “use rights” providers for VIP prospects.
Affiliate Professor Dr. Do Minh Cuong, former lecturer on the College of Economics and the Vietnam Nationwide College, stated that renting outfits on particular events as an alternative of shopping for them is more and more standard as a result of individuals are beginning to care extra in regards to the “sharing economic system” and good consumption. The attribute of this economic system is to encourage renting, reusing previous issues, and avoiding shopping for new issues to economize.
In line with the skilled, within the present tough financial scenario, spending hundreds of thousands on garments that may solely be worn a number of occasions is an inappropriate method of spending. Not solely is renting garments cheaper, however you do not have to fret about missing space for storing or losing cash on laundry.
Cuong affirmed that the pattern of renting garments will more and more develop due to its comfort, usefulness, and suitability to the financial wants of many customers. Nevertheless, for many who pursue sophistication, like exclusivity, or are afraid of being gossiped about, renting could make it tough to satisfy their necessities.
“That is the pattern of the long run, utilized by many celebrities and politicians world wide. There isn’t a purpose to be shy or embarrassed,” Cuong stated.
Along with year-end social gathering garments, some prospects additionally hire attire and ao dai for your complete Lunar New Yr vacation. The rental value isn’t any dearer than traditional.
Bao Ninh, from the northern province of Hai Duong, plans to hire two ao dai, priced at VND150,000 every, to put on for this 12 months’s Tet. The 27-year-old woman stated {that a} designer ao dai prices a mean of VND1-2 million, whereas the identical product if rented prices just one tenth of that.
“Garments aren’t gold or silver to hoard, so it’s higher to avoid wasting for one thing else,” the workplace employee stated.