Marks and Spencer (M&S) has announced the launch of its first clothing rental trial.

The move follows the retailer’s latest Founders Factory Joint Venture investment in the Zoa Group, the operator of leading clothing rental website Hirestreet.

First launched in 2018, the joint venture is designed to identify and accelerate emerging businesses and "provide M&S with valuable insight into industry change and trends."

The company said that with the clothing rental market set to grow exponentially in the next decade, the new partnership allows M&S to conduct its first ‘test and learn’ trial in this “important growth market.”

The first rental edit is made up of over 40 womenswear pieces from M&S’ Autograph range, with a focus on premium fabrics such as leather and silk, and the latest dresses from its M&S X Ghost collaboration.

The collection items have a selling price of between £69 - £299 with M&S and will be available to rent on Hirestreet from £13 for four days.

“Clothing rental is a growing market and working with Hirestreet through our Founders Factory joint venture gives us a huge opportunity to learn from the leading start-up in this space, operate in an agile way and better understand what our customers want from rental services,” said M&S chief operating officer, Katie Bickerstaffe. “As we grow M&S clothing, we want to be more relevant more often and we know customers are increasingly interested in the circular fashion economy.

“Our partnership with Hirestreet means we are putting M&S clothing in front of new customers and our first rental edit doesn’t just showcase the style we have on offer, it also highlights the value and quality of clothing that is made to last.”

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