Alteration business The Seam secures 250,000 pounds in funding

The Seam, the digital platform aiming to revolutionise clothing care and repair services, has raised 250,000 pounds in a pre-seed round with Jenson Funding Partners as the lead investor.

The investment will allow The Seam to fight fast fashion and scale its bespoke online alterations business by increasing the speed of its product offering, scaling up its team and expanding into other regions.

The Seam connects consumers with tailors to help reduce waste from fast fashion by repairing or altering clothes. Currently, the online network has more than 700 makers across Greater London.

The platform was founded by Layla Sargent, who was inspired by her grandmother, a professional seamstress, who would often mend her clothes as she was growing up. This led her to recognise that other people had a different relationship with fashion, opting to discard old clothes instead of repairing or remaking them. It was this inspiration that formed the foundation of The Seam.

Alongside Sargent at The Seam is an experienced team including Bonnie Carr, whose previous roles include UK operations and community manager at Taskrabbit.

Commenting on the investment: Sargent, founder and chief executive of The Seam, said in a statement: “Now more than ever it’s important to change consumers’ relationship with the clothes they own. The environmental impact of fast fashion hasn’t gone unnoticed and major brands are under pressure to offer a more sustainable solution to the industry.

“The Seam not only allows wearers to have a deeper connection with the clothes they own but also allows individuals to reduce their impact on fashion waste through maintaining their wardrobe – repairing, rather than discarding the items they own. This funding round will allow The Seam to grow and offer even more consumers its services across the UK.”

Jeffrey Faustin, chief information officer of Jenson Funding Partners, added: “We are always on the search for innovative businesses led by passionate and driven founders like Layla. Layla has identified an original idea for the market, fusing the traditional area of alterations with digital and tapping into the importance of sustainability and reducing waste with great commercial potential. We look forward to seeing how The Seam continues to grow.”