John Lewis launches rental service for children’s clothes

The subscription starts from £18 a month

The rental service currently offers 48 pieces (Getty Images)

John Lewis has launched a rental service for children’s clothing.

In partnership with The Little Loop, a children’s clothing rental platform, the service currently offers a range of 48 items including dresses, blazers, hoodies, tops and trousers.

The rental service works by subscription and gives parents and carers three plans to choose from.

Paying £18 a month gives you 100 credits, which is enough to rent around six or seven items of clothing each month.

For more garments per month, a £27 monthly subscription grants 150 credits; while £36 a month gives you 200 credits.

These credits can then be used to order clothes to your home. Most styles in the collection are 20 credits or fewer to rent.

“When you’re ready to return an item, simply send it back and use the credits to loan something else,” the retailers said.

There has been an increase in clothing rental services in recent years as campaign groups work to raise awareness of fashion’s impact on the planet.

According to the Waste and Resources Action Programme, Britons throw away around £140 million worth of wearable clothing every year.

Meanwhile, the UN Environment Programme estimates that the fashion industry uses around 93 million cubic metres of water every year, while 20 per cent of all wastewaters annually comes from fabric dyeing and treatment.

Last year both Harrods and Marks & Spencer launched their own fashion rental services.

The luxury department store is offering garments from a range of couture designers, such as Jenny Packham, The Vampire’s Wife and Halpern.

Harrods said it was “leading the way in responsible luxury and fashion circularity”.

Meanwhile, Marks & Spencer (M&S) has partnered with UK rental website Hirestreet to offer dresses for as little as £10 a day.

“As we grow M&S clothing, we want to be more relevant more often and we know customers are increasingly interested in the circular fashion economy,” chief operating officer, Katie Bickerstaffe, said.

“Our partnership with Hirestreet means we are putting M&S clothing in front of new customers and our first rental edit doesn’t just showcase the style we have on offer, it also highlights the value and quality of clothing that is made to last.”