Young children grow out of clothing fast and good clothing doesn’t come cheap. Furthermore, the short lifespan of the clothing is also a major environmental burden. For the company Circos these where important motivations to launch its subscription service. The startup has launched its service in the Netherlands and Denmark this month to offer a more sustainable and affordable alternative to buying clothing that “is worn only briefly and then ends up in a landfill” (Emerce). The “Clothing as a Service” will offer products from major brands like Adidas, Patagonia, Vigga and Paula Janz.

Subscriptions that grow with you

Circos aims to save parents of young children time, money and space while also saving natural resources.

A subscription to Circos is available starting at € 42.50 per month. That price gives the subscriber access to about ten to twelve items of clothing which, once the children have grown out of them, can be exchanged for a larger size. Clothing that is at the end of its life will be reclaimed and the materials will be used for other purposes.

According to the Danish consultancy firm PlanMiljø, parents that use Circos’ subscription save an average of 242 liters of water, 270 grams of cotton and 6.14 kilos of CO2 per month compared to parents who buy all children’s clothing.

Circos started as a small company in Amsterdam but was acquired by Danish sustainable clothing brand Vigga, which between 2015 and 2018 rented more than 100,000 children’s clothing through a subscription in Denmark. Circos is currently focusing on the Dutch and Danish markets, but the service is available in 16 European countries. At present, Circos only offers children’s and maternity clothing, the company might offer a wider product range in the future.