UK skiwear company OOSC Clothing has secured a £1.4m export finance package through HSBC UK and UK Export Finance (UKEF).

Based in Worcestershire & London, OOSC is a retro-styled ski, gym and swimwear brand using materials from recycled plastic bottles, fishing nets and sea-waste.

The company, which was launched in 2015, exports to more than 110 countries countries from regional websites including sales to 49 separate US states. OOSC plans to use the package to boost sales with key distributors like ASOS, Decathlon, Zalando in the EU, Macy’s in the USA, Hudson Bay in Canada and others across Australia and New Zealand.

Following on from the previous £450,000 HSBC UK facility which UKEF supported in 2021, the new financing will also help OOSC to purchase more inventory to support their growth in global sales. In 2023, OOSC also secured a green trade loan from HSBC thanks in part to its sustainability credentials.

UKEF said its range of credit guarantees and insurance helped UK businesses access £6.5bn last year. OOSC benefited from a ‘General Export Facility’ credit guarantee which allows smaller businesses to access flexible trade finance through a range of banks and financial institutions.

Nick Marsden, Co-Founder and Director of OOSC Clothing, said:

“For the last two years, UKEF support has been crucial for our international growth. We’re seeing customers around the world get excited not only by our retro-styled products, but also by our industry-leading sustainability credentials and the wider impact we’re having on the planet.

UKEF has played a critical role in facilitating our international growth, strengthening our presence in existing markets and entering new ones. We simply would not have grown as fast as we have without its support.”

Find out more about UK Export Finance

UKFT has a series of resources available to support UK fashion and textile companies operating in the UK and overseas as part of our membership. Find more details on our resources for selling and international markets. UKFT also helps fashion brands, designer labels and textile companies to develop an export strategy and identify the regions and routes to market that are the most relevant to their individual businesses. Find out about how we have helped a wide range of companies here.