M&S Kidswear joins Dotte Resale Collective

Marks & Spencer is entering the childrenswear resale market after becoming the first major high street brand to join the Dotte Resale Collective, which was launched last year by the peer-to-peer marketplace Dotte, where parents can buy, sell, donate, and recycle outgrown kidswear.

The Dotte Resale Collective is made up of 16 independent and sustainably-minded kidswear brands, including Tobias and the Bear and Turtledove London. As part of M&S Kidswear’s trial on the platform, the retailer will offer consumers who sell pre-loved M&S clothing a 5 pound off voucher when they next spend 25 pounds at M&S online.

Alice Duggan, head of M&S Kidswear, said in a statement: “We design and make our products so that the M&S label means quality – product that can be handed down - because we believe style shouldn’t cost the earth.

“Pre-loved selling is a growing market and through joining the Dotte resale collective we’re looking forward to learning more from an agile start up and supporting the circular economy. Through the platform we also hope to extend our customer reach as we continue make M&S kidswear more relevant more often for customers and the ‘go to’ destination store and website not just for uniform but for everyday style and value too.”

Marks & Spencer enters childrenswear resale market with Dotte

Dotte was co-founded in 2020 by Louise Weiss and Samantha Valentine to make it easier for parents to buy and resell pre-loved items through a digital platform, with M&S being one of the most popular brands, with the marketplace currently listing more than 400 items for sale.

It notes in the statement that its endorsement of M&S means that consumers know that “buying with M&S is buying well” as all M&S Kidswear products undergo extensive quality and wash testing to ensure they can be handed down to friends and family. The retailer also includes a name label inside its jackets with room for three owners.

Samantha Valentine, co-founder at Dotte, added: “As any parent knows, children just don’t stop growing! And all those growth spurts make kidswear one of the fastest areas of fashion, with 183 million items of kids' clothing going to landfill every year in the UK alone. That’s why we set up Dotte!

“We wanted to give parents a simple way to pass on their clothes to other families, and at the same time recoup some of the money they originally spent and reduce their carbon footprint all in one go! Having a trusted kidswear retailer like M&S onboard signals a huge step change in the industry itself, and the fact that they are rewarding their customers for selling M&S kidswear will encourage so many more families to get involved in the circular economy! We’re so pleased to welcome them.”

M&S joining the Dotte Resale Collective follows the retailer’s investment in the Dotte platform through its joint venture with start-up accelerator Founder’s Factory. Last year it also invested in Zoa, which powers rental platform Hirestreet.

In recent weeks Dotte Resale Collective has added eight sustainable kidswear brands including Claude & Co, The Bright Company and Little Loves Cornwall.