Lucy-Anne Amdur meets the stylish CEO behind fashion’s most popular rental app in an exclusive interview for Unfiltered. Eshita Kabra-Davies, 29, is the founder of By Rotation, one of the world’s first fashion rental apps. Founded in 2019, it promotes renting unused clothing to other ‘rotators’ and is an early pioneer model for a fully circular fashion system.

Meeting Eshita in early March over a Zoom call (where she reveals the lavish leopard print blouse and trousers by Reformation she wears is rented) she explains how 30% of clothing we own, goes unworn. This statistic triggered her research into the potential of a global fashion rental landscape along with the ongoing impact of textile waste in her native, Rajasthan. 

As a former investment analyst working at a hedge fund although she arguably had the disposable income to buy new fashion Eshita had become disillusioned by the level of waste and distance between brands and their actual paying customers. She set out to create a self-sustaining community of fashion lovers who could rotate what they owned with each other. Given her own experiences as a “third culture kid”,  living in India then Singapore, the US and finally the UK, her initial career in a completely unrelated profession has made her particularly proud to be behind a social fashion rental app which is in her words “puts community first.”  

Passionate about including the customer from day one, her business model is proving successful. Despite lockdown in the UK, the user-base grew a sixth and listings on the app grew by a seventh the year up to March 2020. Meanwhile over 40% of renters have repeated more than one item.

By Rotation has clocked up impressive accolades in recognition of their tech knowhow as a digital-first business by leading Consumer Tech giants.  US online news site, Techcrunch described then as a ‘Rising Star’  (in May 2020). They were voted ‘App of the Day’ by the App Store (July 2020) and won a 25k GBP pitch prize from entrepreneur community, Founders Forum. Last November, they developed a partnership with fashionable and super successful US online dating agency, Bumble.

On the community side, they have been endorsed by media personality and activist, Stacey Dooley, who lent out her wardrobe to raise proceeds for Refuge Charity in April 2020. Hannah Strafford-Taylor, Amelia Windsor and Lauren Bravo have also all been involved in fundraising efforts for charities including Shelter; Spread A Smile and Henry Dickens Centre. Celebrities who have embraced the brand include Abisola Omole, Camille Charriere, Monikh, Jessie Bush, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Nicola Coughlan, Aisling Bea, Laura Whitmore & Louise Thompson.

The fully digital and pure peer-to-peer player business allows its community to engage with other users like never before. It recently was invited to join the Emerging Innovators Network by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation,  a huge achievement for a rapidly growing start-up. Meanwhile Eshita continues to push the sharing economy as a wider concept, whilst contributing as a Board Member of the Sharing Economy UK trade council.  Exciting times lie ahead for this fashionable green brand – and its boss. 

Lucy-Anne Amdur [LA] – How did you start By Rotation and was there one or several reasons why or how it turned it into a business?

Eshita Kabra-Davies [EKD] – The idea for By Rotation came about with an all-too-common first-world problem when planning my honeymoon to my motherland Rajasthan, India – what to wear? It was important from day one to create an inclusive community and to make it all about regular consumers [as opposed to fashion insiders].” 

LA – What does By Rotation do and what are its motives?

EKD – We are the world’s first social fashion rental app… the Instagram of fashion rental! You can rent and lend designer fashion to our community for a fraction of retail price, thereby saving the planet, money, looking fabulous and making friends on the app!

LA – Can you give some examples of typical By Rotation brands, silhouettes, styles, colours. Is there a most popular outfit and why do you think this is?

EKD – Dresses are typically the most popular items on the app. These are usually from a range of contemporary brands just as Jacquemus, Rixo or Self-Portrait. It’s the easiest way to complete an entire outfit, and often these dresses cost over £500 to buy, just for one occasion! 

LA – Who is your By Rotation customer and why?

EKD – She’s a working professional, often a millennial, who loves fashion but is very pragmatic and becoming more conscious of her consumption habits.

LA – How have you found setting up a fashion company and what have been the major challenges to date?

EKD – It’s a very traditional and elitist industry, and also very outdated. It’s truly appalling how backwards the industry is – there is a clear lack of any regulations within the industry and therefore producers of fast fashion have gotten away with polluting our planet for far too long, even when cleaning lenders are responsible and can add a cleaning fee if the item is delicate. Our partner is  Clothes Doctor which offers eco-friendly solutions and repairs. 

LA – Have you had any communication with press or media companies, what was it and how has this helped with your promotion of the brand/ service you offer?

EKD – We have had a lot of press coverage ranging from national to international broadcast channels. It’s a vital part of their marketing strategy and has really helped them gain credibility within the technology and fashion industries. 

LA – How do you think By Rotation helps with sustainability and is this something you feel strongly about?

EKD – We created a completely circular model which allows an individual to share what they already own with someone else. It’s human nature to never stop wanting new things. But “new” doesn’t need to be something out of a shiny new box made just for you. It could be a new experience of borrowing something from someone whose style you admire! It’s like the movie The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants – the items have a life of their own!

LA – What did you do before? Did you have any training and what made you want to go into the fashion industry. (Did you buy/ wear a lot of high fashion or evening wear before and if so, why?)

EKD – Not very long ago I was a regular unsuspecting shopper and very seldomly spent time researching the products and companies I was buying from unless it was to do with my day job [Eshita was formerly an investment analyst for a hedge fund]. It felt like I was constantly being marketed to so I approached the concept from the point of view of being a customer myself! I wanted to bridge the gap and empower the customer and bring a sense of purpose to how one dresses and shops for fashion. It is key to me that the stakeholder is not forgotten in the journey of a full circular fashion system.

LA – How have you coped in the pandemic and lockdown? How are you preparing for when we come out of lockdown?

EKD – This past year, we cemented our position as the largest fashion rental platform in the UK within 18 months of our launch. The entire team has worked throughout lockdown. No one was put on furlough or given any reduction in duties and this time last year we launched the Impact Scale feature on Earth Day, which will continue to educate the community about the positive savings we can make by renting clothes instead of buying. I am hugely proud of how far the team and business has come during such a tumultuous period for all, and that we have kept to the original values of community and sustainability. 

LA – What’s next for By Rotation?

EKD – On the business front, we just completed our first fundraiser with an extremely high calibre of investors with expertise in fashion, tech and strategy. On the community front, we’re working on some seriously exciting partnerships including one with a hotel and new app features to expand our presence in the UK and abroad by the end of 2021.