One thing that is sure about kids: they just grow and grow and grow.
So it makes sense that globally, only around 20% of clothes are reused or recycled. The rest ends up as waste.
But husband and wife entrepreneur team, Vigga and Peter Svensson, think they have the answer.
Having worked for 10 years in ethical kids fashion, Vigga realised that her previous career wasn’t as environmentally sustainable as she had hoped.
“We weren’t those green superheroes that we thought we were,” Vigga tells BBC.
“Even though our products were really green, the way people used our product was not very green. It’s a massive waste of resources.”
*Cue light bulb moment.*
With the average baby jumpsuit getting about 5 to 7 wears before it is outgrown, the couple began creating a whole new system of using and upgrading clothes – with no perfectly wearable clothing going into the bin.
Therefore, Vigga and Peter’s new business rents out baby clothes which will be used 100 – maybe even 150 – times.
Called Vigga after its co-owner, the eco-friendly clothing line and circular subscription model of hiring children’s wear provides members with a 16 item bundle of clothes for $55 a month.
These clothes are updated as the child grows from baby to toddler.
Genius? We think yes.
The main question for prospective members, is whether the clothes are clean and hygienic: can they accept clothes worn by so many strangers?
But the Svensson’s have a solution for that too.
Each clothing item is chipped to track its usage. When the item is returned, each individual piece is sorted, inspected and if needed, repaired.
Vigga also works with an independent laundry with clothes then sorted into bags to be sent back out to members.
The Damgaard family are advocates for the Vigga model and are one of 3000 members in Denmark, to join since 2014.
“I think it’s obviously a very practical thing that you always have clothes in the right size,” says Ms. Damgaard.
“Obviously it is always good for the environment, that we don’t buy too much; that we just have what we need.”
While right now the couple is just trying to launch the idea in Denmark, we would love to see something similar in Australia.
