UAE-Based Best Kept Shared Secures Investment To Scale

Best Kept Shared (BKS), a UAE-based peer-to-peer platform for luxury fashion rental and resale, has secured an investment from Move the Needle Consultancy (MTNC), an advisory firm founded by Mary Ghobrial, an executive known for her stints at e-commerce platforms in the region like Amazon.

MTNC, which was launched by Ghobrial in the US in 2018, advises a range of e-commerce ventures, including Namshi in the Gulf and Nykaa in India. While the investment supports MTNC’s focus on the circular fashion sector, it also aims to help position BKS as a differentiated player in the evolving re-commerce market across the Middle East.  

Founded by Kelly Power and Sophie Kjøller in Dubai in 2023, BKS enables women to rent luxury fashion items directly from curated wardrobes across the region. The platform operates on a peer-to-peer model, featuring pieces from public figures like Nadya Hasan, Rosemin Manji, and Lesa Milan, as well as from independent fashion entrepreneurs.  

In an interview with Inc. Arabia, Power detailed how the partnership with Ghobrial came about. “We were introduced to Mary through mutual contacts in the e-commerce space, and the alignment was immediate," Power shared. "Her track record at Amazon, Souq, and Namshi speaks volumes; she understood that the shift to access-based fashion in the MENA wasn’t on the horizon, it was already here. Mary knows how to scale platforms with high-frequency logistics, omnichannel complexity, and cross-border ambition. That made her the right partner for Best Kept Shared.” 

With re-commerce projected to represent 23 percent of the global fashion market by 2030 and amid growing competition from global luxury brand-owned rental channels, Power stressed that BKS stands out through its local-first, community-driven model. “We're peer-to-peer, which allows us to scale wardrobes without scaling inventory, unlock real diversity in style, and let fashion lovers become fashion entrepreneurs," she explained. "We’re also local-first. We offer same-day delivery, fit guarantees, and curated collections from names women in this region actually follow.” 

Power told us that, as the competition ramps up, BKS is adapting to shifts in both consumer and brand behavior. “As rental becomes a discovery and revenue channel, not just a sustainability story, we’re seeing brands and consumers engage with it differently," she said. "That’s where our hybrid model combining peer wardrobes, managed closets, and brand partnerships gives us real flexibility to adapt.” 

She also noted that while luxury brands were initially resistant to the fashion rental market, she believes that evidence indicates that, far from cannibalizing potential sales, rentals can play a role in deepening brand loyalty. “There’s a long-standing belief in luxury that exclusivity drives value,” she said. “But what we’re seeing is that rental doesn’t dilute brand equity; it deepens brand discovery. For many consumers, renting is the gateway to falling in love with a brand they hadn’t experienced before.” 

Rather than drive down sales, Power added that some brands have seen increased demand after appearing on the platform. “Rental can sit alongside retail as a complementary channel, generating revenue from dormant inventory, building brand visibility, and offering an alternative to markdowns or deadstock," she explained. "As consumer behavior shifts toward access over ownership, the smartest brands are adapting, not resisting.” 

For other MENA-based entrepreneurs in the fashion tech space, Power's advice to them is to build with a deep understanding of the customer in mind. “You'll need to be doing two things at once, building the product and building the market," she said. "That means deeply understanding how people shop, dress, and engage with fashion here, not just importing models that worked elsewhere. Great tech won’t land unless it feels natural, useful, and culturally on point.” 

Pictured in the lead image are, from left to right, Best Kept Shared co-founders Sophie Kjøller and Kelly Power. Image courtesy Best Kept Shared.