Arket, one of the brands of H&M Group, starts renting out children’s clothes this week. The Scandinavian lifestyle brand will collaborate with the Dutch clothing rental company Circos.
Encouraging reuse
With the initiative, which will be launched next Thursday, Arket wants to encourage reusing pieces of clothing. Children grow through eight sizes during their first two years of life. According to the brand, on average, their parents buy approximately 280 pieces of clothing during this period. Moreover, most of these items are only used for a few months or even less, they add.
Arket is therefore launching a rental service for children’s clothes. Customers can thus split the footprint of the clothes, and save time, money and space as well. “With our collaboration, Arket and Circos bring a valuable and much-needed service to a growing market of environmentally conscious parents and caregivers,” says Erick Bouwer, founder and CEO of Circos.
The Circos subscription is available to European customers from 19.50 euros per month. The rented pieces can be worn for as long as they fit. After returning the items, Circos washes them so that they are clean for the next customer. This way, between eight and ten families will be able to use the same pieces. When the item eventually wears out, the materials get recycled into new products.
