A coffee with Eshita
Hi Eshita, welcome to the Lepelclub journal. We’re so happy to have you here with us! First thing’s first, can you tell us a little more about yourself?
Hi, thank you so much for having me! I’m Eshita, the Founder & CEO of By Rotation the peer-to-peer fashion rental app.
You’ve founded your own company, by Rotation. Was it always your dream to start your own business?
As a third culture kid who was born in Rajasthan, India, I moved to Singapore at the age of two. I always knew I wanted a big part of my life and my work to be very global too. Right out of undergraduate studies in the UK, I worked as an investment analyst at the very prestigious Standard Life Investments. But I always knew my experience as an investor early on in my career was meant to be a building block towards my entrepreneurial pursuits.
Can you tell us a more about by Rotation and how the idea initially came about?
I created By Rotation as a solution to a personal first-world problem I was faced with when planning my honeymoon to my motherland Rajasthan, India: what to wear on the trip. During the trip, I was shocked to witness first-hand the impacts of textile waste in my own hometown. After researching the global fashion rental landscape, I was disappointed not to find any fully circular solution. Inventory-based models of rental [which buy stock to rent out, so the model is still centered on buying new] are wasteful when you consider the resources they employ – from the items they hold on to, warehousing space, dry-cleaning to deliveries
and physical shop fronts. By Rotation today, is home to the world’s largest shared wardrobe, with over 415,000 unique users, some of our top lenders making more than £3,500 per month lending out their wardrobes. We’re like the AirBnb of fashion!
If you could pick any item from the by Rotation collection, what would be your go-to fashion piece to rent for a special occasion?
There are so many incredible pieces on the By Rotation app that I have worn over the time. However, I think my favourite piece would have to be the Ulla Johsson Nasya Embroidered Dress. It’s very expensive to buy and also no longer sold so definitely a hidden gem on the app. It made me feel like a Rajasthani princess, I’ve rented it twice already!
Everyone is renting through by Rotation! What's one special occasion from a user that has left a lasting impression on you?
There are so many incredible stories that have come from By Rotation from user’s getting engaged in their rentals to renting pieces for their wedding day! I think recently a story that stood out was a Rotator who rented a dress for every wedding she’d attended in 2023 (which was 10!) It truly is inspiring the community's passion for the concept of rental and that really is the driving force behind it.
What’s been the most challenging part of starting your own business, and what’s been the most rewarding?
Like any business there definitely have been many challenges but also many “I’ve made it moments” too. I initially set-up By Rotation whilst working in investment analytics and taking the first steps into the fashion industry wasn’t easy. I initially found it hard as a first time founder as I didn't have a track record, I didn’t go to school or university with the fashion industry people and didn't have the relevant social and professional networks to tap into to get the fashion world to buy into By Rotation and me.
I think the most rewarding moments are hearing how By Rotation has impacted women's lives in ways that I would have never thought. We’ve had one lender be able to fund her IVF journey after suffering from cervical cancer and others being able to pay for childcare.
And finally, how do you hope to stir things up in the future?
The coming year will definitely be exciting for By Rotation, with our US community growing bigger by the minute we have a lot of plans set in place for 2024.
