A fast-growing North Wales clothing brand has a mission to become the 鈥淟evi鈥檚 of the women鈥檚 outdoor wear market鈥.
ACAI Activewear, in Sandycroft, Deeside, was started by husband and wife team Joe and Kasia Bromley with a sewing machine on their kitchen table.
The firm has expanded with ACAI鈥檚 skinny trousers proving popular from everyone from dog walkers, horse riders and outdoors enthusiasts to animal workers and other professionals.
They have now raised 拢350,000 in a funding round led by Dow Schofield Watts Angels (DSW Angels), the business angel network. This funding will allow it to expand its product range and keep pace with rising demand.
Kasia, who moved from Poland to study fashion at Edinburgh College of Art and worked at couture houses including Alexander McQueen, came up with the idea while designing for a cycling wear company.
She noticed that typically outdoor brands use a 鈥榩ink and shrink鈥 approach to womenswear 鈥 offering designs created for men but in smaller sizes and different colours. She spotted a gap in the market for stylish, functional and comfortable clothes designed specifically with women in mind.
ACAI now has a mailing list of over 30,000 and a 36% repeat business rate. Since its launch in 2016, sales have grown rapidly and the company is on course to double turnover to over 拢1m this year.
The couple, whose son Oliwer was born just after the company鈥檚 launch and who are expecting their second child in October, now run the business from premises in Deeside and employ two staff.
Kasia says: 鈥淥ur customers tell us there are no other trousers like ours on the market. We aim to empower women and encourage them to spend more time outdoors by providing the gear for them to do so. The 鈥榯rail to the street鈥 look means they can walk up a mountain but still look stylish in the pub afterwards.
鈥淭he funding will allow us to offer a wider range of styles and products and boost our stock levels, allowing us to keep abreast of the growing demand and fulfil orders more rapidly. Our mission is to become a global brand and make ACAI the Levi鈥檚 of the women鈥檚 outdoor apparel market.鈥
The latest deal is the fourth investment for DSW Angels, founded two years ago to provide scale-up investment to regional early-stage businesses. Last week DSW Angels secured a 拢10m commitment from British Business Investments.
David Smith, of DSW Angels, said: 鈥淎CAI is a niche product with loyal and growing customer base and incredibly talented founders. The company has already shown excellent traction on limited investment 鈥 considerably better than comparable start-ups we benchmarked 鈥 and is on target to double revenue this year. 鈥
