º£½ÇÊÓƵ

The parent company of Cornish fashion brand Celtic and Co is set to grow its workforce after raising £6.75m in its latest investment round.

Refind Brands is building a group of fashion brands which describe themselves as environmentally and ethically minded.

Following its first investment into sustainable clothing label Celtic and Co, which has sites in Indian Queens and Newquay and was selected for an in-store partnership with John Lewis last year, the firm has recently expanded its portfolio with a trio of deals.

Last month it acquired Somerset-based women’s clothing business Kettlewell Colours, having reached agreements late last year to buy Cornish children's clothing brand Frugi and Shropshire cashmere specialists Turtle Doves.

Refind Brands said it would use the funding to grow all four companies in both º£½ÇÊÓƵ and international markets, and to create 15 jobs across its manufacturing, customer services and warehouse operations.

The round included a £1.5m from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Investment Fund (CIOSIF) - the largest single investment it has made to date, and the biggest equity deal it has supported.

Ben Barnett, chairman of Refined Brands, said: “The creation of Refined Brands was motivated by a desire to build a differentiated family of sustainable fashion brands, alongside founders and teams that shared our passion and vision.

“I am delighted to welcome CIOSIF as investors into our expanding group. We value their experience in supporting businesses throughout the region and believe their input will help us achieve our ambitious goals for organic growth in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ and internationally.”