Globetrotting Influencer Elaine Hau Built An Online Handbag Rental Business

Born and raised in Hong-Kong, Elaine Hau is the millennial influencer and owner of Luxury Fashion Rentals, an online handbag rental company. Having traveled through most of Asia, Hau has her sight set on visiting the fashion capital of the world next: Paris. She is now based in Los Angeles, California and followed her dream by creating a thriving handbag rental company. “I have always had a strong ambition to be an entrepreneur.” says Hau. “It made perfect sense for me to turn my passion for handbags into an online business venture.”

The influencer, who goes by Little Elaine Hau on Instagram, sees social media as a strong element of her success, using micro-influencers to market her luxury handbags. “Influencers make a point of connecting with their followers and viewers in an intimate way,” she says.

Here are 6 questions for Elaine, who shares her secrets to success in online business: 

1. You have been a collector of luxury handbags for many years. When and why did you decide to start Luxury Fashion Rentals?

I decided to start Luxury Fashion Rentals in 2018. As an influencer, I had been renting a lot of clothing for content on social media and I ran out of room in my closet. I had also purchased a large collection of luxury handbags. I began to think about sharing my handbag collection with other handbag lovers. I recognized that this would be an excellent niche business and a way to utilize my growing luxury handbag collection to create an online business with minimal start-up costs. I was also drawn to the fact that this business would be sustainable both environmentally and personally.

2. How do you see the luxury handbag rental market as compared to the luxury handbag sales market? 

The success of other online fashion rental businesses showed me that this was a good industry to get into. These rental companies will likely continue to grow as e-commerce makes it easier for people and businesses to connect. We have witnessed this phenomenon in recent months with the changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, renting is a much better option than buying for people who wish to save money and use a variety of handbags for special events. Chanel and Louis Vuitton have also recently raised the prices on their handbags; with these higher prices, the option to rent gives much better access to luxury items for everybody.

Read more: forbes