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In a world where fashion’s impact on the environment has reached critical levels, social entrepreneurs are emerging as disruptors, leading the charge for change.
Nowhere is this more evident than in Dubai, where sustainability has taken centre stage in recent years. And that is where best friends turned entrepreneurs, Kelly Power (KP) and Sophie Kjøller (SK), saw a gap in the UAE fashion market and decided to fill it.
Although sustainability is not a new conversation in the MENA region, this dynamic duo is making their mark in Dubai’s ever-evolving fashion scene.
Enter Best Kept Shared—the brainchild of these co-founders that has swiftly established a near-monopoly. Dubbed the ‘Airbnb of fashion,’ the platform curates styles from top lenders and sellers, including It-girls Nadya Hasan, Bambikoko, Rosemin, Sasha Ray, and Real Housewives stars Nina Ali and Lesa Milan.
Launched in 2023, the luxury rental platform quickly ascended to become one of the region’s leading fashion rental apps.
In this edition of GRAZIA’s Career Edit, we delve into the transformative journey of Kelly and Sophie as they redefine the future of fashion in the UAE.
My current role is…
Both: Co-founders of Best Kept Shared, the region’s first social peer-to-peer fashion rental and resale platform, the Airbnb of luxury fashion.
When I was younger I wanted to be…
KP: An entrepreneur.
SK: A fashion designer
My favourite subject at school was…
KP: Economics.
SK: Textiles
My first job was…
KP: Market research, endless hours spent surveying and compiling data. The skills came in handy though so it was time well spent.
SK: Door-to-door sales of broadband internet in industrial parks… a tough gig for an 18-year-old, but it taught me resilience and the skills to sell.
My career path so far has been…
KP: After 15 years in the corporate world, I decided to take the jump into entrepreneurship. The idea for Best Kept Shared has been eating away at me for the past few years so it’s been fulfilling to watch it come to fruition.
SK: 15+ years in HR at major corporate companies, with a side serve of freelance fashion styling. My last role was Head of Diversity Recruiting at EY MENA.
The role the UAE has played in my career is…
SK: It gave me the opportunity to meet my best friend who is now my Co-founder, and presented us with the perfect opportunity to launch this business.
I was inspired to become an entrepreneur and enter the fashion space because…
KP: Fashion is an industry that’s ripe for disruption. Nearly every element of our daily lives has been transformed over the past decade from the way we eat with Deliveroo to the way we access entertainment with Netflix. But our closets haven’t seen innovation, fundamentally they still look like our grandmas did. We wanted to bring to the market an opportunity for access over ownership of the wardrobe.
SK: Fashion has always been the itch I needed to scratch and longed to pursue but set aside in favour of a more “traditional” career path. We’d watched the fashion rental space grow in other markets and awaited its arrival in the UAE. When it didn’t, we knew we were the right people to build this business and bring the rental revolution to the region.
My daily routine consists of…
SK:
6:00 AM: Wake-up call from my beautiful son
6:45 AM: Pilates with my PT or a morning walk
8:00 AM: Take my son to nursery
8:30 PM: Start my workday, Mornings focus on brain-intensive work, usually relating to supply intake strategy.
1:00 PM: Pick up my son
2:00 PM: Wardrobe reviews or meetings
4:00 PM: Wardrobe uploads
5:00 PM: Dinner, bath, and bedtime for my son
7:30 PM: Dinner with my husband
8:00 PM: Admin work and prep for the next day
10:30 PM: Bed
My role as Founder entails…
KP: The morning starts with responding to the customer service queries that came in overnight (you’d be surprised by how many women book dress rentals at 3:00 AM). Then I dive straight into a few hours of maker time, working on user acquisition strategy, marketing campaigns, partnerships – all the things that can grow the business. We’re currently raising our seed round so there’s a lot of fundraising work to be done, financial models and pitch preparation – again the focus is on growing the business. I leave meetings and filming for the later part of the day. We’re currently filming a series ‘Meet the Keeper’ where we showcase the women behind the wardrobes listed on the platform, going into covered wardrobes all over Dubai.
The biggest milestone I have achieved is…
Both: The launch of Best Kept Shared.
A quote I live by is…
KP: “How you do anything is how you do everything.”
SK: “You can never be overdressed or overeducated.” – Oscar Wilde
What I hope for 2024 is…
Both: A continuation of the accelerating growth in the secondary fashion industry in the region and to secure the funding to grow our business.
