QOOKEEE JUNE 2021.
We had some exciting news last month, when we found ourselves featured in an article by Sarah Rainey, for the Daily Mail online, Femail magazine. The article was about baby clothing rental, and we’ve included an extract below.
It was so nice to see the positive comments from Sarah, and our clothes looked gorgeous on her son Charlie, dressed in Toby Tiger dinosaur yoga pants, and the Kite’s My first cardi in yellow. The yellow rain jacket mentioned in the article is the Muddy Puddles Recycled Puddleflex Lined jacket.
QUALITY CLOTHES FOR STYLISH KIDS
WHAT IS IT? Eco-friendly baby and toddler clothes, 0-24 months. Launched in July by fashion expert Jacey James, Qookeee (pronounced ‘cookie’) rents out high-end sustainable brands including Mori, Toby Tiger and Kite Clothing. Items on offer range from dungarees and dresses to coats and pyjamas.
COST: A five-item ‘capsule wardrobe’ of key items costs £10 a month, and you can add specific garments — starting at £1.50 each per month. The minimum monthly subscription is £20.
SARAH’S VERDICT: ‘Beautifully packaged, super-soft clothes, which are far nicer than anything Charlie owns, and they look and feel brand new.
‘The yellow rain jacket (RRP £50) is a stand-out piece; I’d never buy him something so expensive that’ll last only one season, but for £5.50 a month, it’s the perfect spring staple. I just wish it came in an adult size.’
Renting baby clothes is such an easy way to be more sustainable, and with such a focus in this area, its great to see more parents taking the plunge and trying the service. Check out our new post here if you have any doubts on the benefits of renting!
We’ve also been in talks with a new brand, which we’re looking forward to adding to our collection later this year. We are very selective when choosing brands, as there is so much Greenwashing around, and it’s easy to make claims like organic. We are proud that our 100% cotton babywear is GOTS certified organic cotton with full traceability from the farm to the final product, complete with the GOTS logo in the product.
QOOKEEE MARCH 2021.
So nice to see a bit of sunshine this month and Spring just round the corner giving us hope that there are brighter, more normal times ahead. Its an exciting month for us as we are supporting our first charity partner, the Twins Trust, and are looking forward to offering our gorgeous, ethical clothes to their membership. It’s often an unexpected surprise to find out that you’re having twins, triplets or more, and the cost is enormous! So being able to rent clothes from Qookeee will be hugely beneficial in reducing their clothing waste and save money.
We’re also looking forward to receiving our new SS21 stock from our lovely suppliers shortly. All of it made from GOTS certified organic cotton. You may not know but over 90% of our collection of brands is in GOTS organic cotton, because its important to us that we offer clothes that are developed respecting the planet. It also give us the opportunity to not only extend the life of the clothing but to repurpose the clothes at the end of their life, so they don’t end up in landfill.
We’ve started a series of posts on anything from the benefits of organic to helpful tips, guest posts and interviews with like minded businesses. So here goes… our first post!
QOOKEEE JANUARY 2021.
Just when we thought the worst of the pandemic was behind us, we entered lockdown again in England. The weather was at its worst, cold and freezing, which made it even harder. For us, we took this time to reflect on what Qookeee was all about. The fashion industry is on its knees with so many established brands going into administration. We need to reinvent it in order for it to survive without a detrimental effect on the planet.
So with lockdown 3 in full swing we have been talking to mums up and down the country (via Zoom), to find out what they really want from a babywear rental service.
The feedback has been so positive and we are always looking to improve, so we’ve made some changes.
This month we’ve launched a RENT LONGER FOR LESS category, which allows for those expensive seasonal clothing items to be rented at a reduced rate. In fact this option actually lets our customers rent just a single item, like a toddlers jacket and still meet our minimum subscription value! Sleeping bags also featured as very important for our mums, so we’ve included them in this category so they can be rented for several months at a special rate so mums dont need to buy them.
We also have an exciting new category coming up later this year, so keep an eye out!
QOOKEEE DECEMBER 2020.
Phew, what a year! Its been great for some and really stressful for others. We were lucky enough to remain healthy, set up Qookeee and make an idea a reality. We are hugely grateful to all the people who helped along the way.
Babywear rental vs pre loved. We are sometimes asked why we chose new garments instead of pre loved. The answer is simple. We really wanted to know where our babywear came from and that premium fabrics were used in their development. This was important so we could offer quality clothing to our customers, while prolonging the life of the clothes.
While selling on or donating pre loved clothing is a great way of passing on items you no longer need. The advantage of rental over pre loved is that you don’t need to wait for the garment you want to be posted in a marketplace.
With pre loved items, you don’t know the quality, condition or cleanliness of the item, until you have received it and then it cant be returned if you are not satisfied with it. By renting clothes you can be assured that not only is a wider product offer available to rent, all in one place, but they are professionally laundered after each rental. Our rental baby clothes, range from sleepsuits to outerwear, and are maintained and cared for. We carefully monitor each item to ensure they are suitable for renting, and will remove them from circulation if they are not.
QOOKEEE NOVEMBER 2020.
In this month’s news feed we have an update on our packaging. After months of looking at different options and trials we have sourced a material that sits with our ethos of quality, longevity and sustainability. As explained in October’s update we had planned on using good ‘used cartons’ secured with a Qookeee® branded recyclable paper tape, but this option did not work for us.
Unlike businesses that sell products we don’t need packaging that decomposes quickly. Instead we need packaging that has longevity and that can be used for multiple trips, so we can reduce the amount of waste we generate.
We now have a ‘Qookeee® box’ made from Correx®, a twin walled polypropylene material, which is 100% recyclable, lightweight, and durable. Our Qookeee box is bright blue and we have already had some great feedback from our customers.
QOOKEEE OCTOBER 2020.
In the past month we have partnered with two unique suppliers that have brought diversity and new products that gives real breadth to our conscious wear collection.
New partners.
The fabulous Muddy Puddles have worked hard in moving their range of technical outerwear to more environmentally conscious fabrics, and its great to be able to include them as part of our product offer. Their range includes so many super attributes such as recycled, waterproof, breathable, fleece lined, and are a great addition to our collection.
Also joining us are The Bonnie Mob. The Bonnie Mob have created some great recycled outerwear pieces and their luxurious cotton cashmere knitwear is stunning, and really does add a new dimension to our collection. It is lovely to be able to offer something a little special to our customers. The cotton is Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) approved and is a deviation from the GOTS certified cotton suppliers that we usually source. But we acknowledge that sustainability comes in different forms and the work that the BCI do in improving cotton production standards is very important as a mainstream solution for more sustainable cotton.
Better Cotton Initiative (BCI)
Better Cotton means producing cotton in a sustainable way that cares for the environment through processes that minimise the negative impact of fertilisers and pesticides, and care for water, soil health and natural habitats. BCI Farmers achieve better yields and more financial security through access to global markets, whilst improving the working conditions in their fields.
Packaging
Another area we have been working on is packaging. This hasn’t been easy, and we are yet to find a solution that works for us. Initially our thoughts were ‘why use new card, when there are so many used cartons around in good condition’. Unfortunately that hasn’t worked too well, because when the carton is delabelled, remnants of labels still remain, and by the time they are concealed with tape, the whole carton looks a bit of mess and not very easy for the customer to reuse. We’ve looked at new card but again this doesn’t really lend itself to multiple use, before it deteriorates in quality.
We’ve thought of adding a protective layer to deliver the package but this adds to the packaging and we haven’t found a protective layer that’s reusable multiple times. We dont want to add to the waste mountain, so we’re still looking at different materials that supports the reuse model.
QOOKEEE SEPTEMBER 2020.
We are really pleased to have received a lovely review from MyBump2Baby.
Our fabulous suppliers have been busy developing their SS21 ranges and this month we have had the lovely job of choosing pieces from their collections. We are looking forward to adding them to the site for you to rent. AW20 is running a bit late due to COVID-19 but will be landing in September.
QOOKEEE AUGUST 2020.
First month since we launched and its been so nice to receive all the lovely reviews and comments, that we’ve added a few to the homepage.
We’ve been spending some time getting the Qookeee®brand out there and continue to source GOTS certified suppliers, which hasnt been as easy as you might think. We source suppliers with this certification because you can be sure that the cotton really is organic and the GOTS label in the clothing confirms this.
Sustainability for us is about quality, longevity and circularity.
1st JULY 2020.
We were busy this week, making sure everything was ready to go live on Weds 1st July! Six months ago Qookeee® was just an idea, driven by a desire to kickback against over consumption and to make it easy for people to Shop to Rent instead of buy, use, throw away.
Lockdown made it possible to research how to build a website, source ethical suppliers, partner with a professional laundering company and look at packaging. So pleased to see it come together. Thank you for all your shares, likes and support!
