After hosting a pop-up in the city last year, the quirky dungarees brand Lucy & Yak is opening a permanent store in Manchester. Taking over the former site of Northern Quarter institution and much-loved gift and homewares shop, Oklahoma, the fashion brand is set to bring pops of colour much like its previous residents.
The brand, which is based in Barnsley, was set up by Lucy Greenwood and Chris Renwick in 2017, and has become one of the fastest growing fashion companies in the UK. It focuses on sustainable fashion, with its dungaree designs being its biggest sellers.
Lucy & Yak uses organic materials and recycled fabrics in its garments, which also now include jeans, jumpsuits and loungewear. It also repurposes their deadstock materials to create aprons, tote bags, bucket hats, purses, headbands and tea towels. They even offer ‘Re-Yak Packs’ which includes a random selection of leftover print and plain fabrics from their factory for you to repair or upcycle your old clothes.
The new Manchester store is open from July 22 and will be the brand’s sixth store in the UK, with Lucy & Yak branches already open in Brighton, Norwich, Bristol, Nottingham and Cambridge. The dungaree is also expected to open additional stores in Liverpool, Cardiff and Exeter by the end of this year.
Lucy Greenwood, co-founder of Lucy & Yak, said: “We are so excited to be coming to Manchester next month, and can’t wait to be a part of the city’s vibrant culture and art scene. The new store will be another hub for creativity and a touch point to engage in person. As Northerners ourselves, We’re very excited to have the opportunity to reach even more of our community in the North and continue building our Re:Yak in-store clothing buyback scheme, and upcycling and repair workshops.”
Previously limited to Beyond Retro vintage clothing stores, Lucy & Yak expanded the Re:Yak programme to its own stores in January 2023, allowing customers to return their worn Lucy & Yak products in exchange for a £20 Lucy & Yak voucher valid on purchases over £50. The returned pre-worn items are then either resold or recycled, depending on their condition.
The brand has even collaborated with the likes of singer Ed Sheeran, creating a line called ‘Ed & Yak’, which was launched ahead to coincide with his Mathematics tour.
Oklahoma sadly closed its doors at the beginning of the year, after more than 25 years in the Northern Quarter. Owner Nicola Payne said since the bricks and mortar shop reopened after the pandemic she had been juggling two business and “now feels like the perfect time to close our physical shop and focus all my energy on our website offering, exciting new products and collaborations.”