Jesmond entrepreneur’s fashion rental startup joins NatWest accelerator

Jesmond entrepreneur Isabella West has secured a place on NatWest’s Accelerator Scheme for her new fashion rental startup.

Her three-month-old business, Hirestreet, will use support offered through the programme to leverage growth opportunities and develop its “sustainable alternative to fast fashion”.

The NatWest scheme supports high growth startups with perks including free office space, mentoring and legal and tech advice.

Hirestreet is the UK’s first high street focused fashion rental company. It allows users to hire dresses for a 10-day period from £8.

The company was founded by Oxford Graduate and former investment banker Isabella West.

She said: “The NatWest scheme has come at the perfect time, as we look to use the data we have collected so far to scale our operations over the coming months.

“There is no one else operating at this end of the rental spectrum and there has never been a better time to be offering a sustainable alternative to fast fashion.”

Isabella established Hirestreet with the help of a startup grant from PNE Enterprise.

Her plans for the business include a subscription-style service and a nationwide ambassador programme.