GORE-TEX Kidswear has launched a subscribe and swap jacket membership for kids aged 5 – 10, in partnership with Supercycle, the circular-commerce platform.

The subscription service offers access to three styles of GORE-TEX’s all-weather jacket styles for €25 per month – allowing for items to be swapped out seasonally.

Announcing the partnership in a LinkedIn post, Ryan Atkins, Co-founder and CEO of Supercycle, noted the longevity and sustainability issues inherent with children’s outerwear – with cheaper items not having resale value while, with children growing out of items quickly, the investment in premium pieces wasn’t always justifiable.

“Now there’s a third option, subscribe and swap,” he commented.

Members are offered a jacket swap seasonally, every three months, with GORE-TEX covering cleaning and repairing and insuring all items for damage. Removable name labels are also supplied and the minimum subscription period is three months.

Providing convenience, quality, sustainability and affordability

In addition to cost saving, GORE-TEX said the rental offer meant parents “save time and hassle: no reselling, no shipping, no closet full of outgrown jackets. Just the right jacket at the right time.”

Atkins noted the model allowed the business to expand its customer reach: “Different customers weight priorities differently. Some care most about affordability. Others value convenience. Others won’t compromise on quality. Increasingly, many want sustainability.

“Until now, Gore-Tex primarily served those who put quality above all else. With this model, they can now serve every priority equally, expanding their potential customer base dramatically,” Atkins added.

Circularity as a driver of longer customer relationships

Reporting on the partnership, The Industry Fashion quoted Atkins as saying: “For decades, growth in retail meant one thing, manufacture more, sell more.

“Now, with models like subscriptions, resale and trade-in, we’re helping brands turn one-off transactions into ongoing customer relationships.

“GORE-TEX is proving that when you give customers convenience, access to quality and sustainability in one package, you don’t just serve existing fans, you open the door to entirely new audiences.”

The article said the GORE-TEX initiative was part of the roll-out of Supercycle’s new Cycles platform, which enables retail-first businesses to incorporate circular models into their businesses. Supercycle also offers a plug-in for Shopify merchants allowing them to add circular services to their offering.