A UK-based clothing repair service has exceeded its crowd funding goal of £200,000, as the company seeks to expand its operations which have already seen orders grow 321 per cent in the year leading up to September 2018. Clothes Doctor, which now works with retailers including John Lewis and Karen Millen, has been offering services to extend the life of garments since the summer of 2017. Making repair and tailoring services more accessible to digitally-savvy consumers is the goal of the Cornwall-headquartered firm, and a key step in changing the linear relationship shoppers have developed with clothes.
The fact that the company has achieved its investment goal and can now scale-up its operations delivers a real shot in the arm for those wishing to instill a new, less wasteful mind-set within the sector. Rather than recycling garments in a circular economic model, as is so often cited as a solution to many problems in fashion, Clothes Doctor hopes to offer consumers an easy-to-use service which means clothes no longer need to have such a short lifespan. Currently, the company offers in-store services with the aforementioned retailers and is already in talks to expand this network. All repairs are guaranteed for up to six months and, for clients in London, a courier service is available.
The funds accrued through its crowd funding campaign on Crowd Cube will be used to: Develop its technology to allow order fulfilment at a bigger scale and to strengthen of bespoke back-end systems; expand retail partnerships; establish a new ‘at-home’ fitting service through tailor partnerships; and digital marketing.
