SUSTAINABLE FASHION BRAND GAINS ROYAL BANK BACKING

Homegrown Scottish brand, Beira Moda is transforming perceptions of the sustainable fashion industry.

Following a successful career as a fashion designer, Antoinette Fionda (pictured above) decided to launch her own brand in 2018 after getting frustrated with the lack of options available to environmentally minded consumers.  

The label sources fabric off-cuts from some of Italy’s most luxurious fashion houses and transforms them into one-off garments, bringing a fresh life to high quality material that would have otherwise ended up in landfill.  

In recognition of her success, Antoinette was also recently crowned as a winner at the Scottish EDGE awards, securing a funding boost of £50,000.  

Antoinette has been part of Royal Bank of Scotland’s Entrepreneur Accelerator Hub for the past 18 months. The programme empowers Scottish entrepreneurs to scale their businesses to the next level, offering one-to-one coaching, a programme of thought leadership and events, access to a network of like-minded peers, and fulltime use of a modern co-working space.  

The Royal Bank Accelerator is now accepting applicants for its 2023 cohort, with ambitious businesses across Scotland encouraged to apply for a spot before applications close on 17th February 2023.

Beira Moda was named the frontrunner in the Net Zero EDGE category, an award that was launched the previous year with backing from Royal Bank of Scotland to coincide with COP26.

The funding will help the business to lower its carbon footprint even further by focusing its manufacturing processes entirely in Scotland and sourcing a local factory to produce the garments – cutting emissions and creating more jobs to boost the local economy.

Antoinette is also scoping out a permanent location to open her first bricks and mortar store following successful pop-ups in Edinburgh and London.  

Antoinette Fionda, Founder of Beira Moda, said: “Our business is growing from strength to strength and we are really looking forward to the next chapter, opening more pop-ups and finding a permanent location for the store.  

We’re also hoping to expand the team in 2023, and will be making use of the coaching and mentoring services offered at the Royal Bank Accelerator Hub to ensure we have the correct infrastructure as we continue to grow.”

She added: “Winning the Net Zero EDGE award was a real ‘pinch me’ moment for me as an entrepreneur, and the funding will be vital to help us make our big dreams a reality. The Accelerator Hub has also been a game changer for Beira Moda, and I’m excited to continue that relationship in our next exciting chapter.”

Mandy Bailey, Regional Eco-system Manager, Scotland at Royal Bank of Scotland said: “The work Beira Moda is doing to transform the fast fashion industry is truly inspirational and we’re proud to be a supporter of such an innovative business.  

From exhibiting at COP26, to dressing some of Scotland’s most renowned fashion icons, the brand has the potential to grow exponentially and continue changing the minds of consumers.”

She added: “At Royal Bank of Scotland, we have several services in place to support enterprise, and would encourage any entrepreneurs looking to take their business to the next level to apply for a spot on the Entrepreneur Accelerator.”

Royal Bank of Scotland’s free Accelerator Hub programme specialises in wraparound support and provides one-to-one coaching with expert acceleration managers both virtually and in-person.

It also provides a programme of thought leadership, events, and access to a network of peers, supported by Royal Bank of Scotland’s ecosystem managers.

Members benefit from focused support from experts in their specialism as well as use of modern co-working spaces in one of Royal Bank of Scotland’s nationwide hubs, including Edinburgh and Glasgow.