Move the Needle Backs UAE’s First Luxury Fashion Rental Startup, Best Kept Shared (BKS)

Editorial Team

Last updated 10-06-2025

2 min

Move the Needle Consultancy invests in UAE startup Best Kept Shared, enhancing luxury fashion rentals.

BKS promotes renting designer clothing, positioning itself as the "Airbnb of fashion".

The partnership supports circular fashion, making luxury affordable and eco-friendly.

BKS co-founder highlights rentals as a growing trend in brand discovery.

Industry veteran Marie Gabriel's backing aims to transform the Middle East fashion scene.

Move the Needle Consultancy (MTNC), a firm specialising in e-commerce consulting, has just revealed it's investing in UAE-based startup Best Kept Shared (BKS)—the region’s first dedicated platform for renting out and reselling luxury fashion.

BKS, already known affectionately as the “Airbnb of fashion”, lets women across the region rent designer clothing directly from carefully curated private wardrobes, bringing a creative and eco-friendly dimension to how luxury pieces can be experienced.

MTNC’s strategic backing of BKS underscores the trend towards circular fashion—a concept becoming increasingly vital in the Middle East. The partnership aims not only to strengthen BKS’s influence, but also to support sustainable alternatives to traditional shopping. As someone who once spent a Friday afternoon panic-buying clothes for a friend's wedding, the idea of borrowing a designer piece rather than blowing half my month's wages definitely resonates.

Kelly Power, one of BKS's co-founders, pointed out the shift in consumer preferences towards rental as a brand discovery gateway. “Prominent international retailers like Selfridges and Net-a-Porter are now embracing rentals as part of their direct-to-consumer (D2C) strategies,” Power explained, adding: “With MTNC’s backing, we're actively upgrading our tech infrastructure, scaling up brand partnerships and broadening our customer base across the region.”

MTNC was founded by industry veteran Marie Gabriel, whose credentials include senior posts at global giants like Amazon, Souq.com and Namshi. With more than 25 years' experience navigating retail and online commerce, her move to back a fledgeling project like BKS could prove transformative.

Launched back in 2023, BKS quickly carved out a niche as the Middle East’s pioneering peer-to-peer platform, offering women a handy way of renting, lending or selling high-end fashion straight from their wardrobes. By combining sustainability with affordability, the platform could soon become as common as popping into your local Pret for lunch.

It's exciting seeing significant players like MTNC put their weight behind initiatives that stress a circular economy in a scene known for excess. No matter how sceptical one might be of new-fangled schemes, it's safe to say platforms like BKS are set to change the rules of fashion shopping forever.

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