How we've helped Marcel Rodrigues Ltd

Growth Hub case study

Business overview

Marcel started the business specialising in creating bespoke hats in 2018, moving to Cornwall the year after.

“I have always had aspirations of running my own business, and I love wearing hats!”

Seeing that hats were making a fashion comeback, Marcel found that the styles were not that different and felt very impersonal, so he spotted a opportunity to tap into the high end market and provide a truly unique hat which would reflect the owners personality and be a work of art in itself.

Marcel has a background in tailoring, but he is now establishing the business alongside his full-time job, taking his time to make sure he can have planned organic growth. His current model is to keep reinvesting, buying new blocks and specialist sewing machines to produce even more beautiful creations. 

“Our aspiration is to be the go – to brand, but I would prefer this to be in the future, where we can be in a position to employ an apprentice.”

 

It really opened up our eyes to the back-office stuff!

Marcel

How we helped

Marcel met with Connector Christina in 2019. He was initially looking for contacts and networking as he was new to the area, but the meeting soon turned to his plans for growth and how he can best manage this in a controlled way. Marcel’s focus for the business was to keep the quality and originality of his products and not grow too quickly that he loses control of what he loves about the creative process.

His main route to market is through trunk shows, travelling all over the world to take up residency in a store to offer his unique products. Christina pointed Marcel in the direction of the Department of International Trade, where he got a grant to help finance a trip to the US to connect with a whole new set of potential clients.

Christina also put him in touch with Breakthrough, to help with some of the business basics of starting a business such as marketing and finding the right customers.

 

 

 

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The Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Growth Hub from May 2016 -  June 2023 was part funded by the European Regional Development Fund and match funded by Cornwall Council, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership.  The project received £2,848,591.49 of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. 

Business name Marcel Rodrigues Ltd
Website https://www.marcelrodrigues.co.uk
Contact number 07856 749347
Contact email [email protected]
Marcel Rodrigues logo
Quote small
It really opened up our eyes