A Cornwall entrepreneur hopes his organic clothing brand will provide a circular solution to the impact of tourism on coastal communities, with the help of £17,000 from the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme, via Business Support Partner, SWIG Finance.
Will Besant of Primitive Vision Studios Ltd has teamed up with restaurants in St Ives to collect their raw food waste, which is then used to create natural fabric dyes to be applied to organic cotton garments including staff uniforms for the same hospitality outlets.
Start Up Loans is a subsidiary of the British Business Bank and offers personal loans of up to £25,000 per director and offers free mentoring to help anyone start or grow a new or early-stage business.
Having worked in the catering industry himself, Will was well aware of the waste it produces, predominantly food and single-use plastic. “This is amplified in a place as popular as St Ives, where tourism generates £85 million a year, the second-highest visitor-related spend in the UK,” he explained.
Kitchen waste is collected by e-bike to minimise the company’s carbon footprint, and processed at Will’s workshop, which is currently located in a converted Grade II listed church (courtesy of St Ives Community Land Trust).
Different vegetables produce a palette of colours from vibrant yellow (from lemon peel discarded in the making of sorbets, which only use the juice) to candy pink (onion skins) and purple (red cabbage). These are applied to T-shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts sourced from a small family-run factory in Portugal.
Among Will’s customers are the same restaurateurs who supplied the source materials: “Staff are wearing clothes that have been dyed with their kitchen waste. It’s a world-first.”
The business was soft-launched at St Ives Food & Drink Festival in May, and aims to fix another problem created by the town’s heavy dependence on tourism: an economy dominated by seasonal employment, especially for young people, and often characterised by low wages and zero-hours contracts.
“We provide year-round employment on a decent salary and a share in the profits,” said Will. In addition, Primitive Vision Studios is working in collaboration with Yonkers – the youth arm of St Ives Town Council – and Falmouth University’s department of fashion and textiles to offer valuable work experience and apprenticeship placements.
The project has been embraced by St Ives businesses and authorities, with a cash injection from the Town Deal Fund. This required match-funding from Will who, having sought advice from his accountant and done his own research online, found all roads led to the British Business Bank and its Business Support Partner in the South West, SWIG Finance.
“Every other outlet I tried needed three to five years of trading history before they would consider giving me any support, which is no good for a start-up business. SWIG was the only one that would help me, and the team – in particular my business manager, Suzy Lowe – were incredible.
“I had a very short window in which to get my application over the line, and Suzy helped me to turn it round within a week. I couldn’t have done it without SWIG, and I am so grateful.”
Part two of the project, dealing with single-use plastic waste, is scheduled for the end of the year. “We’ll collect it from local businesses – St Ives Business Improvement District is on board – and will shred and compress it to make homewares and furniture which might even be used by the same businesses.”
Will has global aspirations: “The impact of tourism on coastal communities isn’t limited to Cornwall or even the UK. I’ve been invited to Morocco and Mexico to give presentations.”
Suzy Lowe, Start Up Loans Senior Officer for SWIG Finance, said: “Will is an innovator and buoyant character who is turning waste into worth. He has worked tirelessly to spread the word, presenting the problem and its potential solution, to the point that he has gathered significant support from his local community.
“It’s been a pleasure to help him launch his business, and I can’t wait to see where it takes him.”
For more information about Start Up Loans visit www.startuploans.co.uk
About SWIG Finance
SWIG Finance is a people-based lender that provides loans and support to help smaller businesses in the South and West Country grow. We base our lending decisions on potential rather than collateral, which means that we can often support businesses when others can't.
We’re growing every year. In 2024/25, we lent £14.8m to 501 businesses, helping to create and secure over 1,272 jobs and generate £75.7m in social impact. Download the report here.
If you’d like an informal chat about your funding requirements, get in touch with our friendly and professional team to see how we can help: info@swigfinance.co.uk / 01872 227 930