WHEN we speak of weddings and other special occasions within the Indian and Sikh communities, gorgeous sarees and lehengas come to mind.
To make the day a memorable one, everyone will be looking for the ideal attire. Of course, one concern is the high price of a stylish lehenga or saree.
Unveil studio has introduced the concept of beautiful bridal and cocktail lehengas as well as sarees for rent.
Besides this, the outlet in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, also has contemporary ready-to-wear outfits for sale and a wide range of curated artisanal pieces from around the subcontinent.
The studio is the brainchild of schoolmates Nishalni Naidu and Rimka Sandhu, who share the same interest in fashion. They decided to open Unveil when they too, found it difficult to buy good quality one-off pieces or to rent one for an occasion.
“My friends from various ethnic backgrounds are always asking me where they can rent Indian outfits because they don’t want to spend too much on something that they would probably wear just once,” says Nishalni.
Rimka adds: “Friends who are getting married will ask where they can purchase unique bridal pieces for their wedding day or wedding photo shoots. I then realised that there aren’t many bridal studios with a focus on Indian brides. So we started Unveil which focuses on bridal and cocktail lehengas, anarkalis and sarees.”
RENT AND WEAR
“There isn’t a shop in the Klang Valley that offers Indian wear for rent. Our friends are delighted that we’ve started Unveil as they can now rent an outfit for 10-20 per cent of the retail price,” says Nishalni, adding that most of their customers so far have rented outfits for weddings and Bollywood-themed events.
“We are now geared up for Deepavali and the year-end wedding season. The reach has been good so far, with expatriates being part of our target market. They attend many corporate Bollywood/Deepavali functions and weddings,” says Rimka.
She adds that rental also benefit those attending destination weddings and those who travel to the city for a wedding but do not want to carry a heavy lehenga with them.
Retail outfit sells for between RM500 and RM4,000 while rental is between RM80 and RM900, depending on the material and design.