It’s important in this life to surround yourself with the things that make us happy and to be generous and creative with our style. Indytute LOVES a creative wardrobe look. But we all know that fast fashion and throw away culture are more than a little funky for the planet.
It’s a powerful cycle of buying cheaply produced clothes we wear once and throw away; going into landfill never to biodegrade OR big fashion labels burning unsold stock to keep demand high rather than selling these items at a reduced price, then there’s cars, kid’s toys… We want to look good, own nice things, have variety and novelty and we want to do it guilt-free!
You can create a life you love, and keep the planet happy. Here are some companies making it possible to rent and borrow what you want, making the circular economy a reality.
Girl Meets Dress
Girl Meets Dress have hundreds of options across any occasion, making this blog very difficult to concentrate on actually…. so tempted by an Alexander McQueen dress for £79.
Either search by occasion, style, designer or date of the event. You have the choice to pay for the hire of your fave outfit or take the ‘Infinite Subscription’ at £99 per month for three dresses on rotation all month. That’s unlimited items for events, work, weekends…
The best thing is you have the option to ‘try before you hire’ and there are a range of sizes to choose from.
The Library of Things
'Why buy when you can borrow?' asks the headline of The Library of Things. And all of a sudden we're wondering exactly that.
From the electric sander that's seen absolutely no love since we moved house and stripped back the wooden floorboards, to the food dehumidifier I bought absolutely convinced I was going to make myself healthy treats (spoiler alert, I didn't), my home is full of things that will never be used to their full potential.
From heading on adventures to getting stuck into DIY these guys have got everything you could possibly need, but probably won't need very long.
HURR
Hurr is different in that it connects you to other people to borrow from. Slightly limited choice compared to Girl Meets Dress but some really beautiful items.
This is ‘Renting A La Mode’, £500 designer dresses at £80 for the week…..………
……… 😐
I may have spent an hour looking at dresses for a wedding I’m going to in April and have booked this beautiful ‘Reformation’ dress for £87 (RRP £435).
Ok, back to work….
Harth Space
Buying furnishings for your home can feel as much of a commitment as getting a tattoo. ‘What if I don’t like that style in a few years?’ you say to yourself as you consider paying three month’s salary for a 3D printed, geometrically angled chair in pastel pink…
‘Harth brings true flexibility to interiors, by making it possible to change any space in whatever way we like, for as long as we like, quickly, easily and with complete peace of mind.’
Thank you, Harth. Yes, I will take that Petrol Velvet Blanca Sofa for £80.33 a month please.
Whirli Toys: Kid’s toybox subscription
Toys. Mostly plastic (we know, we know, plastic is bad) and only a handful chosen by our tiny dictator friends, the others are left, unloved.
Well, the guys at Whirli have created a service that encourages swapping for toys, as opposed to shopping for toys. You can enrich your kid’s life with the stimulus and new toys they need by rotating out the toys they no longer play with.
Choose the toys you want from the catalogue, keep the toy for as long as you like or swap it for another you/your kids want more. If you keep a toy for nine months, it’s yours for free!
A monthly subscription starts at £9.99 however they recommend you choose the £14.99 a month service and pay for a half year in one go to be able to use the service straight away. Then you can dive into an Aladdin's cave of wonder from a ‘Peppa Pig Air Peppa Jet’ to an Elsa Frozen 2 Singing Doll.
Getaround: Car Rental by the Hour or the Day
Another peer-to-peer lending platform where you borrow your neighbour’s car. Type in your location, put in your dates and you’ll be surprised how little it costs. A lovely looking yellow Vauxhall Corsa is just 0.2K away from me and costs £34 a day to hire, no additional costs other than the petrol. All automatic locking from the app and great system of photographing the vehicle before you drive off to ensure both you and the car owner are covered in case of damages or disputes.
MUD Jeans - lease your jeans
MUD Jeans are a sustainable Dutch fashion brand that aims to make fashion circular. You lease a pair of jeans for a monthly fee. When the jeans are worn out, or if you feel like a change after 12 months, you can send in your jeans and switch to a new pair. They then recycle the old pairs into new items.
So, what have we got now...
I got a dress for a meeting next week from Girl Meets Dress for £49.
A designer dress for the wedding from Hurr for £87.
I’ve hired the car for two days to get out of London and to Bristol from Getaround for £68.
When I get home I’ll slip on my leased jeans from MUD for €7.50 per month.
And sit back on my luxury sofa from Harth which is a sweet £80.33 per month
FURTHER READING
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