Clothing rental has become increasingly popular recently, with many of us trying to limit our
purchasing and move away from fast fashion, but this guest blog article written by Emma Gillespie,
founder of Belles & Babes, explains the benefits of renting and how it works for your maternity, baby
and nursing clothes.
Renting is better for the environment and people involved in the fashion supply chain.
Whilst some items that you rent will start off new, many rental items will have been worn by another family so, just like buying second-hand, you’re helping to reduce the demand for new
clothes and keeping useable items out of landfill. Rental companies do everything they can to take
care of clothes, for example debobbling them and repairing them, so that they can be enjoyed for
longer rather than sitting unused in storage.
Rental clothes have often been produced more sustainably too.
Belles and Babes only source babyclothing from organic, ethical brands, so you can be sure that workers in the supply chain have been treated ethically and paid a fair wage, and with a reduced impact on the environment, rather than the exploitation and environmental damage that many large fashion companies fail to address.
The clothes are quality checked.
The benefit to renting rather than buying second-hand is that items are quality checked so that you
know when it turns up that it won’t be damaged or stained, and clothes arrive washed and ready to
wear.
You can save money
Belles & Babes offers maternity and nursing clothes to rent from only £5 per month, per item, making it incredibly affordable, giving you access to trusted brands such as Seraphine as well as independent brands. The Tilbea dress shown below retails at £69 so renting it for £5 a month is a
steal! Baby capsules are on average worth over £300 new for 18 items, and cost from £30/month to
rent. Considering that babies will wear one capsule for around 3 months, this saves over £200 for
each capsule compared to buying new.
Renting saves your precious time
It’s much quicker and easier to set up your baby subscription, or choose a maternity capsule
wardrobe from our collection than to spend time trawling shops or the internet whenever you need
something new, plus then having to wash and sort them for donating or selling on.
It’s extremely convenient
The clothes will all arrive together in one package exactly when you need them, and with the Belles
& Babes maternity capsule, it’s easy to order swaps if you get bored or the weather changes. Baby
bundles will land on your doorstep when your baby is ready for the next size up, with a return label
for sending your previous bundle back.
There are lots of different options for baby clothing – if you’re put off renting because you like to
choose items of clothing for your baby, some rental companies let you select exactly which items to
rent, whereas other companies such as Belles & Babes are aimed at parents who want the
convenience of not having to choose everything individually, preferring to receive a capsule
wardrobe that has already been tailored to their general preferences.
Worried about stains?
If you’re worried that you may get stains on the clothes, then please don’t be put off renting – most
rental companies, including Belles & Babes, include wear and tear in their rental fee and will never
charge for stains or any damage that occurs through normal use of the clothes (which, with baby
clothes, is pretty much anything!). Belles & Babes even offer a nursery/messy play subscription for
messy babies for the reduced price of £25/month, so that you don’t need to feel guilty getting stains
on clothes that will already be lightly stained/marked or just a little bit more worn.
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Belles and Babes is a UK-based rental business specialising in sustainable maternity, baby, and
nursing clothes. Founded by Emma Gillespie in 2017, the company is driven by her corporate
sustainability background and has a mission to provide a more sustainable alternative for parents
seeking to move away from fast fashion and reduce clothing waste.
If you are a parent seeking a sustainable alternative to fast fashion, you can find out more about
Belles & Babes below.
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