Eve Kekeh holds a Master’s in Enterprise and has been listed on Forbes 30 Under 30, Drapers 30 Under 30, and was awarded Sustainability Entrepreneur of the Year for London at the Great British Entrepreneurs Awards. She is also the founder of Bundlee, the UK’s first rental subscription service for childrenswear, and is passionate about the circular economy, reducing waste and extending the lifespan of products.
Laura Turner: What’s the story behind Bundlee?
Eve Kekeh: I’ve always been passionate about sustainability and using business as a force for good. Whilst studying abroad in the US, I loved using Rent The Runway, a designer womenswear rental service. It was amazing to get such good quality clothes on a student’s budget and stop the waste of wearing dresses once or twice. I started to think about where else the rental model could be applied, and the childrenswear space made so much sense. I’m the eldest in my family and had witnessed how many clothes my siblings quickly grew through and the waste this led to. After completing a Master’s in Enterprise, I spent the year researching the idea and collecting perspectives from hundreds of parents. I’d also worked at startups in other industries, so I applied everything I’d learned to a pilot of eight families, and we’ve grown from there.
LT: How does Bundlee work?
EK: Families subscribe to Bundlee and select their plan. On the Capsule Plan, our team will curate a set of essentials based on the baby’s size and the season. On our Personalised Plan, parents pick their favourite pieces to rent from our amazing selection of brand partners. They use the clothes for as long as they need that size or season, then pop the clothes back in the reusable packaging to swap for the next size up. Returned clothes are professionally cleaned, Ozone sanitised and inspected to ensure they meet the highest standards of quality and safety before going on to a new lease of life with the next renting family. We aim to extend the lifespan of quality clothes by 400%.
LT: What are the main benefits of rental?
EK: Sustainability is at the core of our model and the reason I started Bundlee, but the service has so many other benefits for families. We’ve curated styles from across our amazing brand partners and parents can pick their favourite pieces to rent, so it still has all the fun of online shopping. Families love the convenience of being able to rent clothes when they need that size and can easily return outgrown clothes, saving precious space. Joining Bundlee also saves parents 75% compared to buying clothes new, with the average Bundlee customer saving over £1,000 each year. I’m so happy we can give families a solution that not only helps the planet but also their purses. Our planet is at the heart of every decision we make, from the brand partners we work with, to our reusable packaging, using the lowest carbon delivery service, and green cleaning. Compared to buying new clothes, Bundlee reduces water consumption by 96% and carbon emissions by 86%.
LT: And the common misconceptions?
EK: We get lots of questions about the cleanliness of rental, which is understandable. Our eco-laundry partner uses innovative technology to professionally clean clothes, removing stains and fully disinfecting them to European standards. Our process makes clothes cleaner than any you could find in the shops. Also, people know kids grow fast, but I think it can be hard to quantify just how many clothes they get through − babies outgrow seven clothing sizes in their first two years.
LT: What do you cover in terms of product and age?
EK: We currently offer sizes 0-3 years and cover all the categories needed to build little ones’ everyday wardrobes, including daywear, sleepwear, outerwear and footwear. We’ve already completed over 75,000 clothing rentals in this niche. Amazing dream brands have joined our rental revolution, including Stella McCartney Kids, Patagonia, MORI, Mini Rodini, LIEWOOD, Vivobarefoot, The Bonnie Mob and Konges Slojd. We’ve already completed over 10,000 clothing rentals for one of our brand partners. We have a new partnership with ARKET, which I’m so excited about. We’re also working on sharing the data insights we’re collecting with brands, which can be really helpful for product development and marketing teams.
LT: What options are there for the clothes after rental?
EK: We have a few initiatives to help extend the lifespan of clothes when they’re no longer available for rental, including partnering with the charity Little Village. We’ve donated over 500 pieces to them so far. Also, a collection of styles that were previously available to rent on Bundlee are now available to buy via the preloved store Kidswear Collective – it’s great to work with another startup that has a shared mission of making childrenswear less wasteful and more circular.
LT: What are your plans for Bundlee?
EK: We have a couple of very exciting new brands launching with us over the next few months. Long term, I’m keen to share the value of our data and rental technology with more brands. We want to continue to lead the rental market in the childrenswear space and expand our size offerings so we can serve more families.
