Spend the year in Cavalli, Missoni and Valentino is no longer synonymous with running out of money 365 days following. The Chic by Choice rents luxury dresses from € 50 and has over a thousand in stock options.

As the door opens it arises another wall made of boxes. A stack of cartons that a hasty team closes with tape and identifies addresses with a little throughout Europe. It is a bustle of orders with domestic and foreign addresses. Some will come, others will leave, because the dresses(formal dresses) that are within the packaging have “see” back – are dressed for rent, secret of the Portuguese Chic by Choice business, a successful startup that in recent months has attracted an investment of 1.5 million euros and the likes of Paul Matthew Pinto (President of La Redoute Iberia) and Nuno Miller (formerly responsible for the technological area of ​​Farfetch and current responsible for the digital channels of Sonae).

The door that opens gives the new showroom of the company in Rua Castilho, Lisbon, excuse for a visit Observer and where these days there hands full before orders for Christmas and New Year’s Eve. “We have over a thousand dresses in stock, always rotate between our warehouse and various parts of Europe,” explains Lara Vidreiro, co-founder of the brand along with Filipa Neto.

Attracted by entrepreneurship competition believed Portugal, the two friends had the idea for the business from its own need: “We realized that we were investing too much in parts only wore once and that for the same money we could use several dresses” account Lara, 25, put in other words the gesture that many women know to push the cabinet ends the dresses they use (or have used) when the king’s birthday. “Through the lease, and at a fraction of the final price [15%], we can give this experience to women who are economically conscious. Does not mean they do not have money, but may have other priorities, are the children or the holidays. “

Catalog of Chic by Choice are part brands such as Alberta Ferretti, Diane von Furstenberg, Elisabetta Franchi, Hervé Léger, Roberto Cavalli, Missoni, Valentino and Matthew Williamson to name the most vocal. With more or less zeros, to wear creations of these designers on special occasions there is a simple mathematical rule: the rental price is calculated from the original price dress sale – for a four-day rental, pay 15% of the label, for eight days, pay 20%. “In practice has 85% discount on the more traditional rental model,” says Lara. That means there dresses from 50 euros, and the order is included in the collection by a courier, dry cleaning and any repairs necessary.

How it works?

In the words of Lara Vidreiro, “the site functions as the booking of a hotel room.” From any point of the European community only has to:

• choose the size you wear;
• indicate the date of delivery (such as sending takes 24 hours, the company recommends that is two days before the event);
• choose the rental period (four to eight days);
• choose the dress.

The middle may use the tracking – free – a stylist, ask questions in an online chat or filter your search by themes like the style, the type of sleeve and length or neckline. Just take into account that the dresses(evening dresses) go for the entire European continent and are not always available.

We are less seasonal than was expected, “says Lara Vidreiro. “The time of marriages is increasingly spaced and beyond that there are proms, company parties, galas and the New Year.”

After betting in Germany and the UK – already responsible for 70% of the business after a year online – the startup also plans to strengthen its presence in Portugal, a gown at a time. In our country the concept of rental can “is not yet rooted,” as Lara, but the relentless social networks have also complicated gymnastics to repeat dresses at parties and weddings with different guests without anyone to notice.