A sustainable clothing care business in Truro had secured £1m as it looks to expand both in the UK and overseas, as well as create jobs.
Originally a service-focused clothing repair business, Clothes Doctor has evolved following high levels of demand to create and supply eco-conscious laundry care products.
Its premium detergents and other ranges do not use palm oil or plastic and are plant/mineral derived.
Its laundry range is sold across five continents and in stores such as Ocado, Harrods, Net-a-Porter and Whistles.
To continue its growth both in the UK and overseas, Clothes Doctor will hire new team members into its sales, operations, creative, workshop, PR and marketing, product development, finance and export teams.
The Truro business has secured a £500,000 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Investment Fund (CIOSIF) equity investment as part of a £1m funding round led by appointed CIOSIF fund manager, The FSE Group.
The round includes investment from start-up accelerator Founders Factory, Childs Farm founder and chief executive Joanna Jensen, and new and existing private investors.
It will be used to employ an additional 14 members of staff over the next three years.
Lulu O’Connor, founder at Clothes Doctor, said: “Loving your clothes for longer is our company ethos. Our parents and grandparents knew how to care for their clothes and made them last so much longer than we do today.
“If people extended the life of their clothes by just nine months they would reduce the carbon, water and landfill footprint of their wardrobe by a staggering 30 per cent.
“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.”
Meg Salt, investment manager at Cornwall at The FSE Group, added: “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.”
Paul Jones, senior investment manager from the British Business Bank, said: “We’re delighted to be investing in another sustainably-minded Cornish business and to have helped leverage significant additional funding to enable Clothes Doctor grow and create quality jobs in Cornwall.”
