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Enterprise Europe Network
  • Success story article
  • 17 October 2024

Wake up with curls and healthy hair every morning!

Lotta curls, Austria
Network partners
Sector group
Textile & Fashion
Countries
AUSTRIA

After years of damaging heat treatment, the hair care market is witnessing a drive towards products that cater for the demands of customers for non-invasive styling solutions, focusing on hair health. 

In Austria, one successful hair story started with two women who got tired of sleeping with a makeshift hair wrap made of bathrobe belts and socks to have curly hair in the morning! 

Christina Niederl and Claudia Bauer developed their own hairband with their sewing machines, and so devised the perfect way to have curls without heating.

Lotta Curls was then founded in 2022 with the curl band as its main product. Sewn by hand, it is designed for all hair textures and made from a vegan velvet fabric. The band is wrapped around the hair in a way that only takes a few minutes and can be worn comfortably during sleep because of its soft filling material.

With the success of the product, the entrepreneurs soon realised they would need help to keep up with the orders. That is when they approached the Enterprise Europe Network.

"Lotta Curls approached us in 2022 with the request to support them in finding suppliers of cloth bags for their trendy hairbands," said Michaela Ahlgrimm-Siess, adviser at the Enterprise Europe Network office in Graz, Austria. "Together, we created a business request on the Network’s marketplace, the Partnering Opportunities Database, stating all of their requirements."

Matching local producers through the Network

The hairband start-up wanted to find producers of high-quality fabric bags within the EU single market interested in a long-term cooperation with short transport routes as a priority. The business request had a very good response, providing Lotta Curls with a large number of offers to revise and choose from. "The Network’s marketplace is a super easy way to find new producers," stated Claudia Bauer, partner and director of Lotta Curls.

The company decided to buy the bags for its products from a Polish supplier, Feelgood, specialising in the production of high-quality prints on clothing and advertising gadgets. With the support of the Enterprise Europe Network branch in Kraków, Poland, Feelgood was able to select and respond to Lotta Curls’ request.

"Feelgood joined the Network in 2023 and has since taken part in many activities provided by us. We created a business profile for the company and monitored the database to identify the best business opportunities for them. That is how the partnership with Lotta Curls started," said Wioleta Wiechéc, senior specialist at the Enterprise Europe Network office in Kraków.

Through the cooperation, Feelgood was able to meet all the needs of Lotta Curls: high quality material, prototypes, fast implementation and delivery, as well as long-time partnership. Currently, the Polish company provides Lotta Curls with 100 % cotton bags printed with its brand design and closable with a drawstring, which makes them a nice reusable accessory for customers. 

Expansion strategies for the future

Joining the Enterprise Europe Network enabled Lotta Curls to successfully grow its business. The start-up multiplied its turnover some 14 times from 2022 to 2023, amplified its team by employing a total of eight people, and broadened its market reach from Austria to the whole DACH region (Austria, Germany and Switzerland).

The Austrian company also launched a new product, once more finding a supplier through the Network’s marketplace. In 2023, they started developing microfibre hair turbans made to dry the hair gently and fast. Using the same business request process, Lotta Curls soon found a suitable supplier for the turbans in Hungary, keeping the production within the EU and maintaining its requirement for quality materials and personalisation with the brand’s graphic design.

"Through the courage to try something new and constantly launch new products, Lotta Curls has really benefited from the support of the Network. We were able to help the company expand its product range in an uncomplicated way," added Michaela Ahlgrimm-Siess. 

The future of Lotta Curls looks promising: the company’s goal is to double its sales in 2024 and reach more markets. According to the founders, to keep innovating, they will take customer feedback seriously and incorporate it into product development, expanding the product range to offer a hair routine for all hair structures, including care products. The start-up envisions that the Enterprise Europe Network will keep supporting its needs to find further production partners in the region and establish long-term business relationships.