Money makers: Borrowing from the clothes library

Tired of seeing clothing thrown out after a short time in favour of more current trends, three sisters and a friend launched Lena.

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Lena: putting a stop to "fast fashion"

"Would a golden leather jacket give you a dose of daily joy or €575 of regret on a hanger?" asks Senay Boztas in The Guardian. Dutch company Lena has the answer: borrow it for a week and see. Sisters Angela, Diana and Elisa Jansen, and Suzanne Smulders, created the "fashion library" shop with the goal of putting paid to "fast fashion" where clothes are worn for a short period, then discarded in favour of more fashionable attire. Subscribers buy points on a monthly basis, which can be exchanged for clothing at Lena €25 buys 100 points; €50 buys 300. To borrow a simple T-shirt costs 25 points, and a coat 100.

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Chris Carter
Wealth Editor, MoneyWeek

Chris Carter spent three glorious years reading English literature on the beautiful Welsh coast at Aberystwyth University. Graduating in 2005, he left for the University of York to specialise in Renaissance literature for his MA, before returning to his native Twickenham, in southwest London. He joined a Richmond-based recruitment company, where he worked with several clients, including the Queen’s bank, Coutts, as well as the super luxury, Dorchester-owned Coworth Park country house hotel, near Ascot in Berkshire.

Then, in 2011, Chris joined MoneyWeek. Initially working as part of the website production team, Chris soon rose to the lofty heights of wealth editor, overseeing MoneyWeek’s Spending It lifestyle section. Chris travels the globe in pursuit of his work, soaking up the local culture and sampling the very finest in cuisine, hotels and resorts for the magazine’s discerning readership. He also enjoys writing his fortnightly page on collectables, delving into the fascinating world of auctions and art, classic cars, coins, watches, wine and whisky investing.

You can follow Chris on Instagram.