The award programme was amongst the most highly engaged funding competitions Innovate UK has ever delivered – with over 2,100 entrepreneurs applying and 233 successfully achieving the award.
“This Innovate UK grant will be a welcome boost for our business at a time when we are growing both at home and internationally,” explains Ellen Yates.
“Our ethos has always been built around responsible luxury, creating pieces that our customers can feel good about purchasing and owning forever, knowing that they were created with care. Delivering on that promise means continually reinvesting and reinventing how we operate, doing more and doing better when it comes to sustainability.
“We’re now able to commence a significant project that will seek to revolutionise how waste is managed, allowing us to upcycle non-fashion industry leather into luxury products. This will play a key role in the long-term future of our business,” Ellen said.
The development comes just days after Karen and Ellen Yates returned from a trade mission to the USA with AwakenHub, an all island of Ireland community for female founders.
Part of a delegation of 25, the enterpreneurs travelled to a series of events and meetings in the USA, having the opportunity to pitch Taylor Yates’ business to investors and network. Their schedule included meetings with the Irish Consul General Helena Nolan in New York, the British Consul General to New England, Dr Peter Abbott OBE, Special Guest Joseph Kennedy III, Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs; an event at the British Consul’s Private Residence in New York and a private briefing with Irish Consul General Sighle Fitzgerald in Boston.
Taylor Yates was founded in 2016 with its range of beautifully soft handbags, crafted from responsibly sourced leather and named after inspirational women in the owners’ lives. The brand has since expanded into knitwear with its handmade merino wool pieces and a capsule collection of clothing made from sustainable bamboo silk. From a 500 sqft studio store in Bushmills, Taylor Yates has built a cult following at home and further afield, with international customers across America, Canada and Australia.
Ellen Yates has been shortlisted in the Young Businesswoman of the Year category at the upcoming 2024 Women in Business Awards, taking place next month.
Karen & Ellen Yates
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