LONODN — The peer-to-peer rental platform By Rotation is celebrating five years in business with a five-story town house pop-up on Brook Street, neighboring Claridge’s and French restaurant LPM London.
The setup is part of an initiative from Westminster City Council’s Meanwhile On project, which carves out space for independent brands in affluent shopping neighborhoods.
The pop-up’s landlord, Royal London Asset Management, has offered By Rotation the space rent-free until the end of the year, when the pop-up comes to a close.
The ground and lower floor have been curated to reflect a luxurious shopping experience with sparkly dresses or velvet blazers from Alessandra Rich or Balmain hanging on metal rails.
By Rotation has teamed up with Savile Row’s Huntman to offer menswear pieces such as a tweed blazer or a René Magritte-inspired jacket.
There’s even items on loan from Dame Helen Mirren and Ellie Goulding’s touring wardrobe that customers can get their hands on with a starting price of 10 pounds a day.
One of the floors has been transformed into the By Rotation HQ with the other two floors acting as content studios and a podcast recording area, permitted to other independent brands.
“We knew an in-person activation to bring our community together this quarter was the natural next move. As primarily an app-based platform and service, this pop-up brings our digital world to life, allowing users to interact with the brand in a tangible way,” said Eshita Kabra-Davies, the founder of the rental platform.
Being a stone’s throw away from New Bond Street, the brand hopes it will seduce a new audience and build on its online community.
Some things in the space are for purchase, such as homeware ceramics from Deborah Brett’s brand DB Ceramics; statement jewelry from Anisa Sojka; colorful footwear from Terry De Havilland, and velvet pouches from Angie Power.
Kabra-Davies consciously decorated the space with secondhand-sourced pieces. There’s a La Ligne Roset Togo sofa on the first floor and a Gustaf Westman mirror, which can also be rented on the By Rotation app.
The rental platform said it’s currently experiencing “strong organic growth in the U.S. market and is now profitable within a year of operating” and is eyeing up another market for international expansion in 2025.