Having climbed the career ladder in the world of banking and consulting, working with so many interesting, intelligent and energetic women, Alexandra Tymann and Anna Rauch left their careers to concentrate on climbing a completely different type of ladder altogether.
Alex and Anna are self-confessed Hedonistic Heroines (AKA “Hedoines”), where they believe women can have it all. This strong, enigmatic and driven pair embarked on a journey to establish a luxury, high-end hosiery business which would re-invent the conventional tight.
Conventional tights, of which most women go through an average of 45 pairs a year, are prone to snags, snares, holes and rips resulting in the damage creeping further up or down the tight material known as a “ladder.” The duo wanted to create a high-quality sustainable hosiery brand to reduce this number.
In 2018 Alex and Anna established Hedoine, appointed as CEO and COO, respectively. Headquartered in central London and selling direct from their website, its customer base soon developed a loyal following from Europe and North America. Monthly subscription options also proved an extremely popular choice for their loyal fan base.
The key to differentiating the Hedoine brand from mainstream conventional tight brands, was the technology behind the product. Unlocking their unique selling points by using innovative yarns and 3D knitting technology, this is what launched their 20-denier ladder-resistant collection. Hedoine is also the only brand where all of their collections combine a seamless feel, sag-free, pinch-free, tight, whilst enhancing your shape. The range is also vegan certified.
Alexandra Tymann, Co-Founder and CEO of Hedoine Limited commented: “Strong, bold, driven women, who are witty and do not take themselves too seriously are the core of our brand. Today we are extremely proud to have some great examples of them in our all-female management team. The GLIF loan will allow us to recruit four new employees and expand our marketing reach globally. Hedoine also listens closely to our Hedoines and based on customer demand we will be developing an exciting new product range. Our thanks to Kala for her support and help to complete our loan in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.
Kala Desai, Head of Funds for The FSE Group, who managed the £55 million GLIF debt fund on behalf of Funding London, commented: “The GLIF team is always keen to support female founders and it was an absolute pleasure to work with Alex and Anna. Hedoine has created an exciting brand, offering high quality products using sustainable production and packaging methods. The GLIF funding will allow them to scale up their infrastructure and expand activities to facilitate rapid sales recovery and further growth acceleration once the market recovers and women return to office work and social activities post-crisis. We wish them every success for the future.”
Maggie Rodriguez-Piza, CEO at Funding London, adds:" Some of the most creative entrepreneurs of our time are women, but only a few are able to raise the funding needed to successfully scale their businesses. With a proven track record of helping female-led businesses we are delighted to support Alex and Anna. We look forward to being part of the Hedoine journey and supporting their impressive growth ambitions for the future.”
GLIF is a £100m initiative to help address the SME finance gap in Greater London, promoting economic growth through enterprise and an inclusive and sustainable economy. £55m of debt funding is available, via loans between £100,000 and £1m, to early-stage and established SMEs looking to scale-up and realise their growth ambitions. GLIF is financed through the European Investment Bank (EIB), European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), London Waste & recycling Board (LWARB) and Funding London’s Legacies.
