With the M&S/ Hirestreet model, not only can you keep the pieces for a full 30 days, but you can also choose three different outfits at once. It’s a generous offer, but I’m doubtful about the success of rental when buying a garment outright is not much more expensive. For the same £50, you can choose between plenty of pretty M&S floral midi dresses – or two pairs of its much coveted linen trousers – and keep them forever. 

M&S and Hirestreet seem convinced it is the future of shopping. “Clothing rental is often associated with special occasions, but the popularity of M&S clothes, many of which are versatile for any occasion, demonstrates how the future of fashion rental is changing,” says Hirestreet strategy lead Rosie Hartman. “Today, rental fashion is more than just providing temporary access to designer items.”

She’s probably right, and off the top of my head I can think of a few situations where M&S rental might come in handy. Pregnancy is one: the month-long borrowing model is ideal as women can shift up a size as they move closer to their due date. Work is another. They say “dress for the job you want, not the one you have”, but there’s no point investing in smart office attire for an interview when you’re not sure you’ll get the role. Occasion dresses for weddings and other smart events are also the bread and butter on the rental market – although I think most people would prefer to opt for glitzier brands than M&S.

And then there are everyday trends. We’ve all been guilty of reading about a new look, buying a high-street version of it, realising that it doesn’t suit us and letting said piece languish unworn in our wardrobe for years. This way, colours, shapes and fashion revivals that don’t work for us can be hatched and dispatched without much expense – or guilt. 

M&S will probably make money from the collaboration and may even draw in some new customers – but more importantly, it will benefit its image. It will be seen to be fighting the evils of fast fashion and pushing back against a disposable shopping culture; a culture that brands rely on to survive but which is now being blamed for so many of the climate emergency woes. 

So is this a sustainability box-ticking exercise? Maybe. There is a fuchsia blazer for rent on the site that is only available in a size 18 – surely the retailer should be providing more sizes? Then there’s the fact that Onloan, a rental platform which was built on a subscription model, had to close because it wasn’t profitable. Neither is there much evidence that high street rental is something many people want.

M&S has been at the forefront of quite a few of the important changes that we urgently need to see in fashion though, be it a ban on Uighur cotton or a move towards sustainable denim. That makes me feel like it entered into this Hirestreet partnership for the right reasons. Environmentally, it does make sense: rental has increasingly come under fire for its reliance on dry cleaners and for the fuel costs associated with transport, but this month-long borrowing period negates much of that. 

The bigger question is, will this work? And the short answer is: I’m not sure. I, personally, wouldn’t spend £50 on an M&S rental bundle unless I was pregnant – but I’m not a particularly organised person and the faff of borrowing and returning clothes I can afford to buy would put me off. But I don’t admire myself for this – and I hope that there are other women out there who will embrace this new shopping model wholeheartedly.