Funding set to take haircare brand international
Rose Ovensehi, the CEO and founder of Flora & Curl, started her haircare journey in Birmingham, transforming it into an international sustainable brand with support from Lloyds Bank.
Supporting Flora & Curl’s long-term growth goal of 30% annually, Lloyds Bank has provided an invoice finance facility.
This has allowed the business to fund larger orders with longer lead times.
Product collection has also expanded, with items available in over 500 Boots stores across the UK and sold online to customers in 80+ countries.
Due to struggling with her own hair journey, Ovensehi formulated a streamlined line of nourishing haircare products using botanical and herbal ingredients, simplifying the daily routine for curly, wavy, and textured hair.
A 16-strong team are now behind the brand, with positions for two additional employees to take on marketing and operational roles currently live.
All products are made in the UK using infinitely recyclable aluminium bottles, reducing plastic content. Orders are shipped in eco-friendly boxes, and Flora & Curl commits to growing trees in partnership with WeForest, having planted over 20,000 trees to date.
Rose Ovensehi, founder and CEO of Flora & Curl, said: “Our recent rebrand is a testament to the power of listening to feedback. Because of this, we’ve been able to offer our customers what they want and create a progressive sustainable plan that makes a difference, a real win-win.
“When orders started to increase, I knew I needed financial support to take Flora & Curl to the next level. The support from Lloyds Bank has allowed me to take on much larger orders and build the brand on an international level. Through my business and its success, as a woman-owned business, I want to empower women both in the world of work, and my customers to be the best version of themselves. I think my own natural hair is beautiful and I will continue working to help others with textured hair realise how they can embrace their natural curls and do it in the most sustainable way possible.”
Noshad Khowaja, relationship director at Lloyds Bank, said: “Rose and the team at Flora & Curl are incredibly inspirational, especially for other women in manufacturing. By taking her own hair journey and identifying a gap in the market for all-natural products, Rose has created an international brand with exciting plans for continued growth.
“Women account for just over a quarter (26%) of all workers in the manufacturing sector* so it’s essential that we’re supporting these businesses to scale and capitalise on new growth opportunities. We’ve committed £15m to the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre (AMTC) to train 6,000 graduates, apprentices and engineers by 2030. We’ll continue to be by Flora & Curl’s side as it continues to evolve and bring in-demand products to market as well as others that are helping to shift the balance for women in the industry.”
