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Circular Logic

Renting clothing makes some sense if the rental location serves a population in driving distance. There is no shipping and return involved but at the same time the aisle is not endless as it would be online. So it's no surprise that the current model is not helping the planet. 

Many experts and activists believe that the circular economy could help the fashion industry become more sustainable. The problem is that many brands have co-opted one small aspect of the circular system—like using some recycled materials or renting clothes to keep them on the market longer—and then marketing their entire company as sustainable.

The idea of wearing clothes until they were literally unwearable - as in falling apart, torn beyond repair - was a good one and served people well for ages. Maybe its best not to fix what was not broken. A lot of creativity went into giving clothes a second and third lease of life as children grew into clothes of their older siblings, daughters inherited their mother's dresses and so on. It took artistry to make an old hand-me-downs into something personalized and unique. 

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