Textiles company Ava Innes is seeking its first round of investment to support growth across the UK and into the US market.
The Elgin-headquartered business was founded by Joan Johnston, the ex-creative director for Johnstons of Elgin, who spent more than 20 years’ working in the industry, supplying brands such as Burberry and Ralph Lauren.
She is now seeking £150,000 to increase production and boost the sales function for its temperature-regulating cashmere guard hair and wool duvets and Scottish wool pillows, which claim to help people to sleep better by adjusting to their body temperature at night.
Only 30% of fibre brushed from cashmere goats is used in traditional knitting and weaving. The remaining fibre, called cashmere guard hair, is considered a by-product as it is too straight to be spun and therefore unsuitable for clothing - previously being mainly used as a source of lanolin for shampoo.
Frustrated by the waste of this unused natural cashmere by-product and identifying that cashmere guard hair is rich in keratin - recognised for its temperature-regulating qualities - Johnston identified an opportunity to develop a unique, sustainable fabric, that was recently recognised by the Intellectual Property Office as a new invention.
Johnston, who launched Ava Innes just before the pandemic began, said: “We started by selling direct to the consumer, with 93% of our customers confirming a better night’s sleep.
“Word-of-mouth referral has been our main success to date, but we are now receiving demand from the hospitality industry across a range of boutique and luxury hotels.”
She added: “Investors have a great opportunity to demonstrate their own eco-credentials by supporting a business that places sustainability at the heart of everything we do, from our core bedding products to our packaging and commitment to exploring further sustainable best practices for our business.”
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