It’s not just designer clothes you can rent online anymore, M&S just made it possible to get your high street gear for less.
M&S have launched a rentable collection on British clothing rental Hirestreet, where fashion enthusiasts can get their hands on designer outfits for a fraction of the original price.
Customers will be able to rent their favourite M&S dresses, coats, jumpers, trousers and more from four to 30 days, with prices starting from £13, as the high-street giant makes the leap from retail to rental.
Rentable fashion has become a sound alternative to fast fashion at a time where concerns over global warming are impacting the way we stock our wardrobes.
While renting is particularly interesting to fans of high fashion, an increasing number of online retailers including ASOS are turning to the rental market to be more eco-friendly.
M&S has become one of the first British high street brand to make a foray into clothes rental. The retailer’s clothes can be rented for four to 30 days on the website Hirestreet, with prices starting from £13. Pictured: A dress with a retail price of £79, available to rent from £15. Pictured right: a wrap top costing £79, also available from £15
Left: a midi dress costing £69 to buy in store can now be rented for 30 days for just £30. Meanwhile, a stylish £69 wrap skirt can cost £13 to rent for four days
On Hirestreet, the M&S collection includes a wide range of colourful frocks, jackets, trousers, running from a size 6 to a 16.
Customers can pick a delivery day of when they wish the rental period to start, as well as their delivery address of choice.
The items are all part of M&S current Winter collection, and could be purchased in store, including their collaboration with vintage designer, Ghost London.
The renting time-frame starts from four days and then increases to ten days, or a maximum rental time of 30 days.
This £69 dress can currently be bought in M&S shops as part of their collaboration with vintage designer Ghost London. It can also be rented on Hirestreet from £13
The rental price depends on the items themselves as well as how long you decide to keep them for.
For instance, a midi summer dress that would cost £97 in a M&S store is available from £15 for four days, £22 for ten days and £25 for a month.
Meanwhile, a pricier item such as a black leather belted midi shirt dress, with a retail price of £250, would cost £41 to rent for four days, £70 for ten days and £80 for 30.
A blush pink satin dress from the M&S x Ghost collaboration can be snapped up from just £15.
Customers can buy insurance from £3 for the items they wish to rent to cover accidental damage. There is also a £5 delivery fee.
Fashion enthusiasts can also rent leather goods, like this leather shirt which would normally cost £250, left, which is available to rent from £41, up to £80 for 30 days. Winter coats are also on offer, including this coat, right, sold for £149, which can be rented from £26
Pictured from left to right: a £179 coat that can be rented from £30. A £149 white jacket rented from £26 and £179 leather trousers rented from £30
Pictured left: a £79 green midi dress can cost £22 to rent for ten days, while a floral dress costing £69 would cost £30 for 30 days
Renters are asked to return the clothes on the last day of the rental period through their Post Office in the same packaging it arrived it.
Items do not need to be cleaned before being returned because Hirestreet has the garments professionally dry-cleaned for the next customer.
M&S chief operating officer Katie Bickerstaffe commented: ‘Clothing rental is a growing market and working with Hirestreet through our Founders Factory joint venture gives us a huge opportunity to learn from the leading start-up in this space,’ the Retail Gazette reported.
She added the rental collection would allow M&S to ‘operate in an agile way and better understand what our customers want from rental services.
‘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,’ she went on.
‘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.’