John Lewis has partnered with leading childrenswear rental brand, thelittleloop, for its exclusive first foray into clothing rental. The retailer is launching a trial with thelittleloop that will give parents the choice to rent their children’s clothing. The aim is to limit waste and create a circular solution. Also, to keep fashion in circulation by increasing the number of wears of each garment.

The partnership launches initially with 51 staple clothing items ranging from baby up to 12 years. The collection has been carefully curated to include wardrobe staples made from more sustainable raw materials, such as recycled polyester. The products will be available to rent via thelittleloop website. There, customers will be able to choose John Lewis items to add to their subscription plan. The monthly plan starts from £18. This allows a customer to rent roughly 6-7 products at a time with unlimited swaps.

Ideal for growing children, the customer can swap their rented clothing at any point. They return items in the reusable returns pouch and then receive credit back to choose their next bundle. The returned items are professionally cleaned, mended (if needed) and ready to be rented again. Different price ranges reflect their condition; for instance, brand-new, gently worn and well-loved.

When the clothes no longer look their best, they will be broken down and recycled in the UK.

Commenting is Glynis Williams, John Lewis & Partners Kids & Baby Fashion Category Lead. “We’re thrilled to be launching a collection of baby and childrenswear clothing with thelittleloop, giving customers a more sustainable option to rent high-quality John Lewis clothing through a trusted partnership.

“The partnership with thelittleloop reflects our ambition to offer more sustainable ownership options. It forms part of the commitment we made to our customers to reduce the greenhouse gas footprint of our textile supply chains by 50% by 2030.”

“Partnering with John Lewis is a significant moment for thelittleloop,” adds founder, Charlotte Morley. “It takes us a huge step closer to our mission to embed true circularity into the DNA of all ethical businesses within the childrenswear space.

“John Lewis is rightly proud of the quality of their children’s clothing; we’re delighted to add it to our range. Both to improve choice for our customers, and also to provide John Lewis with valuable data about garment quality and performance to aid future circular design.”

Also commenting is Deborah Meaden, entrepreneur and Dragon’s Den investor in thelittleloop.

“Thelittleloop is the future of fashion rental, allowing parents an option to rent ethical, beautiful clothing for their children at affordable prices while limiting the harm to the planet. Their partnership with John Lewis is an exciting launch that shows high street brands are making positive changes to shape how consumers shop.”

For further information on how John Lewis is achieving its sustainability goals, please click here to read its latest Ethics & Sustainability report. Alternatively, for further information on thelittleloop, please click here.