H&M trials rental service to tackle fast fashion.

H&M has announced a new trial where customers will be able to rent clothes from a store in Stockholm.

In a bid to stop fast fashion in its track, H&M will trial a new initiative where fashion fans can rent a range of garments, including bridal dresses.

The new store in Stockholm will offer customers an independent shopping experience with a curated assortment and an updated interior of warm neutrals, carefully selected materials and lots of greenery.

The store also offers members of H&M’s customer loyalty program the possibility to rent selected skirts and dresses from our Conscious Exclusive collections.

Fast-fashion has emerged as an environmentally damaging ‘hobby’ with recent reports outing the industry as being wasteful and unsustainable.

According to WRAP, the value of unused clothing in wardrobes has been estimated at around £30 billion. On top of that, an estimated £140 million worth of clothing goes to landfill in the UK each year.

To further inspire customers to reuse and recycle, the store will also offer repair services with an atelier where you can get fashion favourites mended or upgraded.

"We are really excited to try out rentals for the first time and inspire our customers to look at fashion in a circular way. Our Conscious Exclusive collections are made from sustainably sourced materials, so we feel they are perfect to kick off this trial with" said Maria Östblom Head of womenswear design H&M.

This follows John Lewis launching a new sustainable fashion buyback scheme to help combat the growing amount of clothes ending up in landfill.

2 December 2019

Climate Action