Fobe me a bag, please! Why a startup from Berlin lends out the newest hype bags
"We are creating a community that cares about fashion and the environment. A community for people who are tired of cluttering their wardrobe with things they don't use every day and the waste they create." These lines can be read on the website of Fobe, a start-up from Berlin that rents out designer handbags in subscription models. The concept behind it is exciting because the goal is not to limit consumption but to make it more sustainable. In an interview, co-founder Marlena Diez reveals her thoughts on the matter.
Your company promises "unlimited access to the latest It-bags". What does that mean?
Marlena Diez: "The 'unlimited' refers to the fact that we don't make any price differences between the individual bags, i.e. with the Unlimited subscription you pay 119 euros per month, regardless of whether you rent a Prada nylon chain bag for 1,550 euros or a Lady Dior for 4,100 euros. We deliberately don't want to add so much complexity here, but just give a price tag to access to our range."
According to my research, the name Fobe comes from a variation of the name "Phoebe" because you are a big fan of designer Phoebe Philo. So why did it still become Fobe and not "Phoebe"?
Marlena Diez: "Yes, that's right. In fact, I am a big fan of Phoebe Philo and I am also very excited about her new label. In fact, I originally wanted to call Fobe Phoebe, but the name is already very feminine and we wanted something that would also work unisex. That's how it became Fobe."
As co-founder of Fobe, you were already a buyer for Prada, Celine, and Co. at the age of 22. What were your learnings from that time in terms of luxury fashion?
Marlena Diez: "For me, this world of luxury fashion was still quite new at the age of 22. I had always had a huge passion for fashion and I was also familiar with the brands, but I hadn't dealt with it in depth before. When I started as a buyer, the order times were still seasonal in some way and I was sometimes at home for two months at a time. Towards the end, however, the designers launched so many collections that I wasn't really at home anymore. The customers were virtually inundated with new trends and a huge selection of It-bags that they would have loved to buy them all. However, even customers with a generous shopping budget sometimes reached their limits and couldn't really satisfy their needs. Here, the concept of ownership no longer matched consumer behaviour."
The concept of renting designer handbags goes in the direction of a "sharing economy", which we already know from mobility, for example. The advantages of sharing things are obvious: less resource consumption, longer and more frequent use, and an overall more sustainable approach are the positive aspects of this development. To what extent did sustainability play a role in the founding of Fobe?
Marlena Diez: "The topic of sustainability plays a big role, but through our concept, we want to further enable consumption instead of restricting it. I think it's simply a way to get more people to consume more sustainably - by offering them alternatives that don't restrict them."
You might think that luxury houses work hard to keep their products really exclusive by frequently raising prices so that not everyone can buy them. Do you see yourself with Fobe as a kind of counter-movement to make luxury accessible to everyone - regardless of whether one could afford the bag at the original price?
Marlena Diez: "We don't really see ourselves that way, because even our subscription of 99 to 119 euros a month is definitely luxury and not affordable for everyone. We also take great care to ensure that our subscription is still perceived as a luxury product. Of course, 99 to 119 euros is more affordable than a handbag for 1,500 euros, so we definitely reach a younger target group than the luxury brands and get them used to their products. And we see that the brands still have to implement a lot in terms of sustainability. Here, sharing models are an ideal solution to not restrict consumption and still make it more sustainable. We are also clearly thinking here of curricular products that we can send back to the brands for recycling after they have circulated with us."
What are currently the most popular handbag models at Fobe?
Marlena Diez: "Currently, the most popular handbags are the Mini Jodie by Bottega Veneta and the Hourglass Top Handle by Balenciaga."
Collections and trends often change very quickly nowadays - even in the luxury segment. In today, out tomorrow. In your business model, you have to keep an eye on the latest bag trends and quickly have the it-pieces of the moment at hand. How do you manage to stay up to date and recognise upcoming trends at an early stage?
Marlena Diez: "I would totally agree with you about clothing, but luckily it's a little slower with bags, which is why we can let the bags circulate long enough to achieve the desired effect of high usage. But of course, we regularly scout the market and social media channels to make sure we don't miss any trends. The difficulty then lies in predicting whether a bag will become an It-bag or fizzle out again. But we want to develop our product primarily for the customer and often ask them for feedback on which bags they want. If it fits into our range, we are happy to include it."
While we're on the subject of trends, I'd like to ask you for a short forecast: Which models will we see most often in 2022?
Marlena Diez: "Balenciaga is currently in ever-increasing demand, and we will also see the Hourglass more often in the summer. The Saint Laurent hobo bag is currently a must-have."
Vintage bags from the 90s and 2000s are currently experiencing a revival - just think of the Fendi Baguette, for example. Is renting out preloved bags that are in good condition not an issue for you?
Malena Diez: "Not at the moment, we find sourcing on the second-hand market very difficult. The availability of luxury bags on the second-hand market is not that great. Here, you get models once at most and can't buy them in depth. We notice that customers primarily don't want to wait long for their desired models, which is why availability is a big issue in a sharing model. That's why we get the goods directly from the manufacturer and have a higher quantity of everything in our assortment."
What about luxury fashion? Could you also imagine lending them out in the future or is the focus currently purely on handbags?
Marlena Diez: "Currently, our focus is completely on handbags. Here you don't need different sizes and you can describe the goods so well that there are no returns. With clothes, sharing is simply a bit more complex, you build up a large stock very quickly because you have the size issue. We also believe that the European market needs a few more years to gain sufficient acceptance. The fact that you share clothes is already a little different from a handbag in terms of hygiene. But I think this topic will definitely come up and I myself would definitely be a customer of a platform that offers this."
Today, designer handbags are often considered a small investment. In times when Chanel and Co. increase their prices several times a year, it can be worthwhile to invest in the purchase of a bag, as the chances of an increase in value over time are high. From an economic point of view, isn't it smarter to buy than to rent?
Marlena Diez: "I agree with you and that's exactly why you won't find Chanel, Hermès or Louis Vuitton on our site at the moment. These labels still work with scarcity and the bags can be passed down through generations. That is also sustainable in a way. We have therefore focused on the labels that are no longer worth investing in because their models are already subject to a certain trend cycle and are overtaken by new models after a few years."
Photos: Fobe
