Lucy & Yak

Lucy & Yak is a sustainable fashion brand, popular for its stylish dungarees. The British brand manufactures products ethically and sustainably in India and the UK, and 95% of the range is made from organic and recycled materials.

The idea was born on a beach in New Zealand, where founders Lucy Greenwood and her partner Chris Renwick spent some time during their travels. After traveling for a few years, they eventually returned to the UK where they bought a van and named it ‘Yak’. They were selling vintage clothing from the van when they realised they had an eye for fashion, so they decided to search for a manufacturer to create the designs they had in their heads… Lucy & Yak was born!

The pair are really passionate about doing things ethically and sustainably; all products are packed in recycled, reusable sari bags and shipped in biodegradable mailing bags: “Every package we send out to you will only contain items that are either Biodegradable, Re-usable, Recycled and of course Wearable” to help promote a circular economy, says their website.

The factory, warehouses and head office also use renewable energy. In December 2019 Lucy & Yak signed up to Offset Earth, which is a subscription service that helps individuals and businesses lower their impact on the climate; planting trees, installing solar panel and wind farms, investing in infrastructure for communities around the planet. Since signing up, Lucy & Yak have already planted 3,630 trees and offset 335.74 tonnes of carbon.

Lucy & Yak’s care values reach far beyond the product line. All employees are paid above the living wage. In fact, tailors in India are paid four times the state wage. “It always seemed strange to us that we had jobs that didn’t pay enough to live on,” says Lucy. “The system is whatever we all decide to make it, so let’s make a system where everyone wins.”