In Amsterdam, there’s a unique place known as the “fashion library,” offering both used and new
clothing for rent—a response to the issues of clothing waste and pollution in the fashion industry.
The library houses a variety of colorful trousers, coats, and overalls categorized by brand or style.
Each item comes with a tag indicating its sale price or the daily rental cost, ranging from
approximately 50 euro cents ($0.55) to a couple of euros, depending on the customer’s loyalty and
borrowing frequency.
For visitors like Ikram Cakir, a 37-year-old NGO campaign manager, the concept is excellent. Cakir
expressed her enthusiasm, mentioning that this initiative helps reduce clothing waste, allowing
people to enjoy new clothes without harming the planet.
Globally, clothing equivalent to a truckload is discarded in landfills or incinerated every second,
contributing significantly to pollution. The textile industry itself is a major polluter, responsible for
between two and eight percent of global carbon emissions.
The “LENA, the fashion library,” established in 2014 by Elisa Jansen and her team, aims to combat
these issues. Jansen, who began her career in vintage shops, wanted to create a platform where
people could access new clothing sustainably. The library operates on a membership basis, allowing
individuals to borrow or purchase clothes from its collection.
Jansen emphasizes the importance of quality and sustainability, preferring longer-lasting brands and
avoiding fast fashion—where clothes are discarded after a few uses. The library, attracting mostly
women aged 25 to 45, aims to offer sustainable choices without compromising on style.
With over 6,000 members, the library provides an online platform and collection points in other
Dutch cities. Jansen hopes this initiative inspires other clothing brands to adopt similar practices,
offering people the option to borrow instead of constantly buying new clothes.
