Lucy & Yak

Lucy & Yak is a British clothing brand established in 2017 by creative director Lucy Greenwood and CEO Christopher Renwick, which is mainly known for its sale of dungarees. It has physical stores in Brighton, Norwich, Bristol, Nottingham, Manchester, and Cambridge, and markets itself as sustainable and mostly gender neutral.[1]

Lucy & Yak
IndustryFashion
FoundedJuly 2017 (2017-07)
Founder
  • Lucy Greenwood
  • Christopher Renwick
Area served
United Kingdom
ProductsDungarees
Revenue£22.7 million (2022)
Number of employees
180 (2023)
Websitelucyandyak.com

History

Lucy Greenwood has stated that she and her partner, Chris Greenwood, went on a trip to New Zealand and made money by collecting t-shirts from lost and found at hostels around the country and using the fabric to make tobacco pouches. Returning to the United Kingdom, Greenwood began to sell vintage clothing on Depop, where the pair noticed a gap in the market for dungarees.[2]

The couple founded Lucy & Yak in July 2017 in Barnsley, South Yorkshire as a direct-to-consumer e-commerce brand.[3] They made contact with a factory in India which at the time was sewing garments for its local markets, and began to make use of leftover fabric from larger fashion companies that they found on Indian market stalls.[2] The company was named after Greenwood's first name and her campervan named Yak, and was initially known solely for its sale of dungarees, beginning with 30 pairs of dungarees as its stock, but later expanded to other categories.[3][4] It opened its first physical store in Brighton in 2019.[3]

A pink Lucy & Yak storefront in Norwich

In July 2022, the company announced a collaboration with Ed Sheeran, inspired by the artwork of his album Equals with an ecru and black butterfly print.[1] Lucy & Yak stores opened in Bristol in March,[5] and in Norwich in November.[6] For 2022, the company's revenues reached £22.7 million.[4]

In 2023, the company aims to open four physical stores by the end of the year.[4] It opened stores in Nottingham in January,[7] Cambridge in April,[8] and In April 2023, the business consisted of 180 employees, two offices, a warehouse and five shops.[9] A Manchester branch was opened in July.[10]

Sustainability

Both The Independent and Euronews have stated that Lucy & Yak has "sustainability at its core."[1][2] It makes use of GOTS-certified organic cotton in its dungarees and other items, sourced from India.[3] This is supported by Fior Di Loto, a charitable foundation for the improvement of education and living conditions of girls in the villages surrounding Pushkar.[11]⁣ Its tailors are paid four times the state minimum wage in India, and its factories operate on solar energy.[2] The company has expanded to use Lenzing Ecovero fabric, flax linen, organic cotton, deadstock cotton and recycled plastic bottles in its clothing,[3] and uses fully biodegradable, reusable or recycled packaging.[2]

The company has instituted Re:Yak, an in-store buy-back scheme for its clothing, before it had expanded into physical stores, initially making use of Beyond Retro stores to facilitate the process. The scheme gave a £20 Lucy & Yak voucher valid on purchases over £50 to those who returned their worn items, which are then resold or recycled depending on their condition. On 23 January 2023, the company expanded the process to its own stores.[3][4]

References
  1. Lester, Daisy (14 July 2022). "Ed Sheeran launches sustainable clothing collection with Lucy & Yak". The Independent. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  2. Campbell, Maeve (21 October 2020). "Lucy & Yak founder talks green buzzwords and fixing the supply chain". Euronews. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  3. Weston, Sabina (18 May 2023). "Lucy & Yak to open four new stores this year". Drapers. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  4. "Lucy & Yak". The Sunday Times. 12 October 2023. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  5. Bennett, Geoffrey (26 March 2022). "Eager customers wait outside as big brand opens in Bristol". Bristol Live. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  6. Baldwin, Louisa (19 November 2022). "'A bit of Brighton in Norwich' – Queues as Lucy & Yak opens in city centre". Norwich Evening News. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  7. "Lucy & Yak opens new Nottingham conscious clothing store | West Bridgford Wire". West Bridgford Wire. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  8. Findlay, Cait (15 April 2023). "First look inside new Cambridge clothing store". Cambridgeshire Live. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  9. Prevett, Hannah (12 October 2023). "We started making bags from rags, now our Lucy & Yak dungaree empire has made us a fortune". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  10. Lorenzato-Lloyd, Alice (15 June 2023). "Dungaree Brand Lucy & Yak Opens Manchester Store At Former Northern Quarter Institution". Secret Manchester. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  11. Leigh, Dana (10 July 2023). "Startup Of The Week: Lucy & Yak". Tech Round. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
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