Fashion brand Nobody’s Child has launched a clothing hire service, which is integrated into its main Nobodyschild.com website.
It has described the NC Rental launch just before the festive party season as “a pop-up partnership” alongside Hirestreet’s white labelled Zoa Rental platform – a method used by several other brands, including formalwear retailer Charles Tyrwhitt.
Consumers can hire from a 19-piece edit that includes occasionwear, wedding dresses for brides and bridesmaids, and casual styles from the ‘Happy Place by Fearne Cotton’ collaboration.
Creating a clothing hire service through its own product pages instead of through a partner platform appears to be a key aim for the brand, which called the move “another step towards a more circular future”.
The integrated process, which effectively normalises selecting rental alongside a traditional purchase, allows consumers to select ‘rent’ when they reach the ‘add to bag’ button online. A five-day minimum rental is required and, once worn, customers need to return the item in the bag it arrived in and send it back with a pre-paid returns label.
Nobody’s Child said clothing hire garments are professionally cleaned in its warehouse, and the retailer has attached a charge of £25 per day for late-returned items. If after 30 days the item has still not been returned it will be classed as lost/stolen and the customer will be charged an additional £100 replacement fee.
The brand, which was founded in 2015 by Andrew Xeni, sells via its own channels but has also established several third-party partnerships with retailers such as Marks & Spencer. From the outset it has talked itself up as a eco-conscious company.
Three goals Nobody’s Child is focused on are underpinned by the Sustainable Development Goals, which were adopted by all United Nations member states in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.
Those goals are: to introduce circular design principles into 75% of its range by 2025, meaning it continues to train its design and buying teams on circularity; make every collection from 100% “responsible fabrics” by 2025; and be a climate positive business by 2030, which means aiming for net zero emissions while also finding other ways to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as the business grows.
[Image credit: Green Retail World]
