Lucy & Yak is kind capitalism you can buy into and wear proudly. The UK brand was founded by a British couple, Chris Renwick and Lucy Greenwood (keep reading to find out who Yak is). The brand has a strong ethical ethos and strives to do the right thing by its employees, customers and the planet. It’s customer following is boy band fan level strong (see over 10,000 members on Lucy & Yak Lovers – Unofficial Buy, Sell, Trade, Chat facebook group discussing and trading all things Lucy & Yak).
The couple started out making tobacco pouches and selling them to backpackers in New Zealand. After their trip they started selling vintage clothing from their VW camper van, Yak. By this time they had got a taste for fashion and decided to take things further. The pair set off for Asia to find a supplier to make their fashion dungaree dreams reality.
They end up in India where they meet Ismail who is a tailor and runs a factory in Rajasthan. The first batches of dungarees were sold on Depop from Lucy’s parents home. They were an instant hit so the pair decided to level up and create a website. Today the brand sells online and also in their first bricks and mortar store in Brighton. They have since moved out of Lucy’s parents home and are now in a 40,000 square foot warehouse.
The brand works closely with Ismail, his factory and his staff in order to ensure transparency. The factory even has solar panels to supply the electricity! They visit the factory twice a year and pledge to pay the respective living wage. Lucy and Yak are also supporting production close to home by manufacturing in Yorkshire, you can shop the made in Britain collection here. This reduces the air miles of your clothes significantly (if you are a UK shopper). For the products made in India, Lucy & Yak state they are moving towards sea shipments as this is the least impactful way to transport goods. Orders are packed in a recycled drawstring sari bag that is then posted in a biodegradable plastic free poly bag. Currently the brand uses a mix of recycled and organic materials for 95% of the range. Lucy & Yak state they are moving towards 100% organic cotton. They have chosen cotton because it is naturally biodegradable unlike some man-made fabrics.
Pictures courtesy of: https://lucyandyak.com/