A luxury bedding brand with sustainability at its core has officially closed its first round of fundraising via Seedrs, having secured impressive funding of over £220,000 from 271 investors.

Led by frontman and young entrepreneur James Higgins, Ethical Bedding is dedicated to ethical, sustainable and meaningful business. Following his recent appearance on BBC’s business reality TV show, Dragons’ Den, James made the bold decision to reject an offer of £150,000 from Touker Suleyman. His firm rejection now signals a far better prospect for the long-term success of Ethical Bedding, raising over £220,000 (compared to £150,000) for just an 9.87% stake (compared to 50%).

Relentless in his pursuit to showcase and grow Ethical Bedding, James decided to continue his mission to find investors with the aim to build an entire ‘Ethical Empire’.

Ethical Bedding will use the £220,000 raised from its initial funding round to invest in three core focuses – People, Products and Brand. The company’s long-term aim is to leverage current and new product propositions, increase organic social reach on multiple channels and expand its national retail network into high street stores across the UK and Ireland – all whilst upholding its commitment to sustainable practices.

Founder of Ethical Bedding, James Higgins, commented: “The success of our first Seedrs campaign is just the beginning for Ethical Bedding. I always knew that the business would be successful, and I also wanted the company to become part of the community, so opening it up to public investors was a must.

“Ethical Bedding has gained increasing recognition since the brand was showcased to the world. Our appearance on Dragons’ Den provided an ideal platform for spreading our message and meaning, and the overall experience has helped us on our mission to shape an ethical future.

“I didn’t agree to take part in Dragons’ Den to just secure whatever money I could for the sake of having a certain name as an investor. I take pride in my convictions and the message of my business and that’s why I am glad I opened our business up to like-minded individuals who recognise our worth and want to help us build an Ethical Empire.

Achieving over £220,000 in funding from 271 individual investors emphatically validates my decision to reject with offer on Dragons Den without negotiating. Importantly this level of funding for considerably less equity, ensures that Ethical Bedding is a far more investible proposition for institutional investors in the coming years.”

Ethical Bedding offers a high-quality, premium range of products including organic eucalyptus duvets, sheets, pillows, fragrances and sleep accessories. Dedicated to maintaining a 100% ethical production and supply chain, the company currently pledges 1% of its annual income to global sustainability initiatives and plants one tree for every purchase made – with the aim of planting a total of 100,000 new trees by 2025.