Laird London: Hats off to business owners Alex and Zofia

Last month we were in Covent Garden visiting the latest Laird Hatters shop and we met owners Alex and Zofia Torun-Shaw. The husband and wife team sell traditional English caps and hats but with an approachable, modern twist. Alex, who studied at London College of Fashion, says “you can have a nice coat, nice shoes… but a great hat really distinguishes you. As my dad always says, ‘Get ahead, get a hat’.”

Set up in 2008, in the midst of the recession, Alex and Zofia wanted to offer an antidote to the usual homogeneous high street which they have achieved with their selection of handmade British hats. The couple now have six stores and have recently expanded their main retail premises in Covent Garden. Furthermore, Yoko Ono, Keira Knightley and Stephen Fry are said to be big fans.

Funding Circle investor Richard has been lending to hundreds of UK businesses through the marketplace for 3 years and Laird Hatters is one of them. We took Richard to meet Alex and Zofia to see how his money directly helped the business to grow. He said ‘having my money go to businesses that need money is important.’

Laird Hatters has borrowed £140,000, across two business loans, from more than 2,000 Funding Circle investors to expand their range of handmade hats and caps.

Do you need a business loan?

More than 9,000 businesses in the UK have accessed  finance from the marketplace, helping them with cashflow, refurbishment and much more. You can check if your business qualifies to apply online in just 30 seconds.