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Will you still buy clothes on rent post covid’19 lockdown?

In a society where we celebrate each festival or any significant event to the fullest, market for clothes on rent or second hand rental had been the growing trendsetter that been holding the reins of many businesses until the pandemic in 2020.

Will the Covid’19 lockdown change the outlook of consumer’s buying pattern, approach towards rental shops and affect the future dynamics of the rental items ?

In the past, many of us wore hand me-down clothes and later the organic shift of buying clothes on rent became the norm. Having taken clothes on hire atleast once, we all felt extravagant to wear different outfits spending less than the retail costs to a party. After all, wearing the same outfit to many social events feels awkward right?But now what ?

is our love for shopping altered!

Designer Clothes:

Weddings are the most expensive events in most places and families spent a huge amount to make it memorable. Brides who desire to wear designer outfits usually throng to retail shops to find a exact copy made by their favourite designers.

The designer lehengas, sherwanis, suits and reception gowns are the top rental outfits in India not only hired by the wedding couple but also the extended families and guests who want to look stylish and trendy and yet is budget friendly.

Many brands like The Stylease, the Flyrobe, Rent An Attire have created a niche to provide designer clothes at competitive lower prices and cater to these segment. With many weddings put on hold, will the rental business still thrive as usual again ?

Festivals and Holiday season:

In the world of social media, where we aim to look cool and glamourous at every holiday,every social gathering, posting selfies and getting more followers and likes has been the new normal for our generation.

The summers where we usually planned our holidays, went for trips saw us confine to our homes admist this lockdown. Now as going on a holiday feels like a distant dream, will those amazing stores who sell clothes on hire be able to recover their costs?

Hopefully, you wouldn’t want to pay a bomb for your next 9 days of Navratri outfits or on a casual gown to go to a nearby beach

Cultural functions/ Competitions at school, colleges and offices

Do you remember taking part in school cultural events and a bunch of you wearing similar colourful outfits posing for group photo after the event? Small entrepreneurs were the source for those clothes on hire who rent out items for a specific period at a nominal fee.

Prom parties, Graduation day and even office get-together and awards functions always saw a spike in buyers going for rental clothes like Sarees, Gowns, worn for a day or few hours.

As schools and colleges are shutdown, the most frequent rentals for fancy dress, cultural functions have stopped completely.

What is the possible future for retailers who sell clothes on hire and its buyers?

Maintenance of Proper Hygiene and Care

Post pandemic, the supreme emphasis has been maintaining proper hygiene and the protocols will have to be taken to follow the guidelines of the authorities. Proper disinfection of clothes will need to be the prime focus for retailers who source the garments before renting out from one buyer to the next.

Reaffirming Faith on Second Hand Clothes

Companies and local retailers will have to campaign for instilling buyers faith to take up the rentals. The social distancing has been taking toll on many minds and the concept of “used or worn before” should not trigger sentiments or put off the potential customers .

For buyers, it is perfect time to detox your wardrobe and offer to sell /donate your clothes to rentals which you do not need or don’t wear anymore.

Economic Slowdown and Cash Crunch

The Covid’19 has seen many job lays offs, businesses closing down and huge debts constantly on a rise. In this scenario, there has been a trend of initial impulsive buying to later cautious buying approach adopted by most consumers due to shortage of finances.

Buy and Wear Trendy Rented Clothes and remain Stylish

Online Rentals

“IS IT SAFE TO BUY ONLINE”

Online sales have become the new normal for us. And most Fashion Rental Outlets are working towards providing access to affordable clothes on rent to consumers who would want to still buy good trendy wears at cheap prices and remain fashionable.

The future could see a possible cultural shift from more consumers going for Clothes on Hire post pandemic and surge of Online clothing rentals.

Pandorathon -13-May 2020-Fable Poem- Second Chance

(written Based on The Fox and The Grapes)

He landed yet another opportunity
To deal that could create new benchmark
Of his ability, agility that could be his new trademark
But, like the fox, he complained and whined
Of ill-fate and misery that doubled combined
The spark of his positivity had turned into sheer disdain
Once, a prime leader, today preferred to give away his claim
The treasure he owned, he trained himself not to use
Convincing himself that Life was at his ruse
Scorning at others, he did, who paved their way calling it a waste
You can sit and enjoy the fruits leisurely, he said, why haste
But, one day, came an order that got votes as majority
They decided to steal his limelight and shamed his disparity
Within a few months, stood an arch bridge hovering above his head
The Canal just remained a duct for no one to admire, confined into his own bed.

Prompt – Write a controversial poem. Use a fable in it, mix it with what everyone considers unnatural. Draw a picture with your poem’s words about something that shakes every possible ground of human conscious.
Copyright©2020-27th May by Elvira Lobo (All rights reserved; unauthorized use prohibited) Disclaimer: The image(s) in the post are taken from Google. I don’t claim any of its rights.

May 27, 2020May 29, 2020

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Pandorathon-10-May 2020- U- turn at Traffic Signal

I was late as usual though I was a boss at office
My trusted driver vroomed us through the highway
With my new car addition that got a chance to prove his skills
We almost reached the entryway to the office lane
When we found ourselves stuck at this prominent signal
As usual , I picked up my phone to inform that I was almost there
And that there would be no nonsense taken at the presentation to be held
I heckled my manager a few times on whatsapp
And then jotted down a to do list for the evening meeting
The buzzing traffic seemed longer than usual today
Making me even more anxious and fidgety
Near the pavement, a poor girl looked with eager eyes at the traffic
As though she would maneuver into a different world in few seconds.
Naïve I thought she was and feeling pity, I rolled over the window
And offered her few fruits wrapped in a newspaper.
She smiled and obliged accepting it with poise
Calling her friends and sharing the fruits at the signal.
They all sat down having each a bite of the fruit
While she recited the newspaper contents aloud to them
Catching me offguard, she winked at me and pointing to my new car
She blurted out, “me also, one day” and then the signal went green.

Prompt- You are stuck up at a busy traffic signal. Write a poem (within 30 lines) or a short prose (within 300 words) on anything, person or incident that catches your attention at the signal.

Copyright©2020-17th May by Elvira Lobo (All rights reserved; unauthorized use prohibited) Disclaimer: The image(s) in the post are taken from Google. I don’t claim any of its rights.

May 17, 2020

Elvira Lobo2 Comments

Pandorathon- 6-MAY 2020-Alpha and Omega

I am your alpha and omega

The only one you look forward to

Deny me not with any pretence

For you have no choice

I am your imperial source of joy

Acknowledged sooner or later

I hold your memories on a pedestal

With a mirror, I project every lesson

You confide in me , your unfilled dreams

Many that you manifest hoping it turns true

I am the one to lead you

To path of Life, Death and Beyond

I am Time that you yearn, learn and burn

In pursuit of daily fulfillment

REVERSE

In pursuit of daily fulfillment

I am Time that you yearn, learn and burn

To path of Life, Death and Beyond

I am the one to lead you

Many that you manifest hoping it turns true

You confide in me , your unfilled dreams

With a mirror, I project every lesson

I hold your memories on a pedestal

Acknowledged sooner or later

I am your imperial source of joy

For you have no choice

Deny me not with any pretence

The only one you look forward to

I am your alpha and omega

VERSE- REVERSE -Write a verse and then reverse it to have the same or different meaning. Reverse poetry is a poem that can be read forwards one way and have a meaning, but also be read backward and have the same or different meaning.

May 15, 2020

Elvira Lobo1 Comment

Pandorathon-1- May 2020- Parkside View

We have been walking along the lane in the summer evenings of May. It had become a routine for so called evening walks that our feet got fed up of the crude terrace tops and bylanes and was in search of a new spot. The park nearby seemed perfect and suddenly we almost sprinted even though there were a good four hours to go. The decade old arched gate welcomed us with a creak. We didn’t mind it all as our eyes hovered around the expanse of the park with its lustrous trees holding their guard at every few steps. The orangish tile blockade was dedicated to walking track overlooking the now defunct pond . We took a stroll having a peculiar view of the ice-cream seller pitching his treat to the parents, children crawling into the sands, teenagers posing for selfies and couples looking at the sunset.

We climbed over a ledge to catch a glimpse of the pigeons tip- toeing over the edges of the pond, flowers sitting docile in their bed and the sun slowing descending under our noses. The warm wind fiddled with our hats and moreso our frayed skin, hopefully no one pick us for looking like baked potatoes. We took a break into our water bottles and sat on a bench that was rickety on the ends. An extra see-saw which had no handles to save from sliding or toppling over near the area marked for cricket.

Thankfully, an old man joined us, and we were balanced in our frame of mind and bodies. He smiled and carefully wiped his spectacles while we offered him some chips. He thanked us and nibbled on few chips joining us to gaze over the children trying some acrobats . “There is a sorrow that lingers in old parks”,the old man said looking around wistfully. “No , don’t think so Uncle”, I murmured. He chuckled at us and pointed out to the extreme corner, “ Look, there was a entire pergola set-up until few years ago, where so many families took turns to sit and gather around . This pond was filled to the brim and the sun shone like a dazzling gold. There was a array of ice- cream, tea, toys, snacks, juices sellers having their entire cart stationed at the entrance of the park. The kids used to gather around the balloon and bubble seller for hours. The cricket area was once a beautiful garden outlet that was highlight of this park, a witness to many picnics, birthday and get- togethers.

There were no sections outlined unlike now, rather we liberally walked to the length and breadth of the park, across all age- groups. The tulips that burrow behind us were once the garlands that groomed the entire place . Many of us have had built new friendships that have lasted much more than these new lousy tracks and obsession filled workout set up. The park was a place of rejuvenation once we came back from our work or have a beautiful day with our family and friends on weekends. Unlike today, most of them are isolated with the phones or detached to some lingering thoughts to their own. ” Surely as we both nodded in agreement, we knew this was one walk to remember!

Prompt- Use this line in your flash fiction of 500 words-“There is a sorrow that lingers in old parks”,the old man said looking around wistfully.