A Cornish business looking to reduce the carbon and landfill footprint of the fashion industry is set to expand its workforce after securing £1m in its latest funding round.
Founded by Lulu O’Connor in 2017, Clothes Doctor produces a range of plant and mineral-based detergents designed to help customers prolong the life of garments made from silk, cashmere, wool and other fabrics.
The Truro-based firm has said its environmentally-minded products are one of few currently on the market which do not use palm oil or plastic.
The business has said it will now look to add 14 new staff across its sales, marketing, product development, finance and export teams over the next three years.
The raise was led by a £500,000 investment from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Investment Fund (CIOSIF). Further funding was provided by start-up accelerator Founders Factory, founder of the Childs Farm skincare brand Joanna Jensen as well as other new and existing private investors.
The company’s products, which are packaged in recyclable aluminium bottles, are sold across five continents and by high-profile retailers such as Ocado, and Harrods.
Ms O’Connor said: “We are delighted to be developing our business so that more people are able to use our vegan products to wash, repair and care for clothes, in the hopes that an undeniable and long-term difference will be made to the sustainability of the fashion sector.”
The £40m CIOSIF provides debt and equity finance from £25,000 to £2m to help growing small businesses across the region. It has been established by the British Business Bank in partnership with the area’s Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
Meg Salt, investment manager at the FSE Group, the appointed CIOSIF fund manager, said: “The all-female team which heads up Clothes Doctor are experts in their field and are full of determination and enthusiasm for what they do. This shows not just in the quality of their product but in the growth they have achieved to date.
“The effect plastics and other products are having on our world means that there will always be a place for eco-friendly solutions and Lulu and her team are scaling up to ensure that their excellent products are part of the answer to the fast fashion crisis. We very much look forward to seeing where the future takes Clothes Doctor.”
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