You Can Finally Rent Luxury Bags In India & Here's How

I love luxury bags. Yes, that's my opening line for this piece because I am a Gen-Z who's truly, madly and deeply in love with designer handbags, and can't resist the urge to add every marvelous piece to my wishlist. But, if and when I snap back to reality, I must admit I do not have the means to own most of them out of my own pocket. At this point, 'I am just a girl' is the track playing in the background of my life with unwavering permanence. And that's where luxury bag rental services like Sanktum walk in, sweep the carpet off from under our feet and reveal a newer side of things that doesn't require just gushing over handbags anymore.

Sanktum follows a monthly-subscription based model wherein a person can rent a luxury bag (or two, depending on the package you choose) and even swap it for another one during this period. The Sanktum subscription provides its members with access to an incredible collection of authentic handbags from around the world with over hundred designer handbags including labels like Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Bottega Veneta, Chanel, Dior, Prada, Telfar, Sabyasachi, Loewe and Coperni among others.

All of these are brand new and personally bought by Sanktum's founders Anushi Patel and Rangoli Kute from boutiques across the world to ensure a good mix of styles for different occasions. The curation of bags, their sizes, colours and patterns are extremely spot on, so don't be amazed to find the most choicest of luxury bags here (looking at you, Goyard Saigon PM).

Well, the process is simple. You fill out a form to share all necessary details and a few documents, The Sanktum team reviews and verifies your application following which, once approved, you can log in and pick your membership plan and enjoy access to the bags. You have  to put down a security deposit to ensure safety for both sides.

Non Sanktum members can preview the collection on their website, but only members can view the full closet. But, I assure you, they have the most iconic picks from each of these brands so you are gonna feel like a kid in the candy store or Cher from 'Clueless'. Personally, a better reference for me would be feeling like Lucy from Narnia and entering a closet I definitely don't wanna step out of.

Sanktum has three different models to choose from. As the fee charges increase, the selection of bags get bougier and also allows you to get your hands on more than one bag at the same time within a month (depending on the package you choose).

At the basic level, they have 'Retreat' under which a person can borrow one bag at a time from 60+ bags with retail price up to INR 3 lakhs. This costs INR 9,999 per month and allows you to borrow only one bag at a time with unlimited exchanges.

In the middle, there's 'Sanctuary' which costs you INR 15,999 per month for borrowing a single bag at a time but you get to choose from a wider curation of bags that cost up to INR 7 lakhs. Unlimited exchanges for this one as well.

At the top, you have 'Inner Sanktum' which costs INR 19,999 per month for borrowing two bags at a time and unlimited exchanges from their complete curation of bags that cost up to INR 7 lakhs similar to 'Sanctuary'.

You get to keep each bag for up to thirty days or swap it with another one if you wish to. All you have to do is log in and scroll through the bags until you find the one you want. Following this, you add a return date for the bag to be picked up by the team. Once you have booked the bag, their sales associate reaches out to you and shares video clips of the bag's current state for your reference (which is great since you know exactly what you are getting). Additionally, if you have any queries regarding the bag (like the size or colour in real), feel more than free to reach out to their sales associate who's always available to ensure the borrowing process is a breeze.

Once the booking of your bag is confirmed, the bag is shipped by the team (in the bag's original dust bag and a beautiful Sanktum-branded box) and takes two to three days to reach you, however, if you stay in Mumbai, the bag will reach you the same day itself (which makes me want to shift to Mumbai). Also, in case the bag you want is currently unavailable, you have the option to add it to your waitlist post which you will receive an email the moment it's back on the website. Their website is super sorted, easy to use, sans any clunky features so mindless scrolling won't be a thought.