Lucy + Yak Launches A Revolutionary New ‘Buy Back Scheme.’

Lucy & Yak are ramping up their sustainability efforts by going even more circular, with the launch of their revolutionary new ‘Buy Back Scheme.’ See more here.

With Cop26 dedicating much of its programme to circularity, and with Google searches for ‘circular economy’ at an all-time high, there’s no better time to reflect on tomorrow’s circular ambitions than now.

It is estimated that roughly 350,000 tonnes of perfectly good clothing is binned each year in the UK. That’s about the weight of the Empire State Building! Imagine a skyscraper of wasted textiles sinking into landfill on repeat, year-on-year: it’s enough to make you choke. In this country alone, £2.7 billion is spent on outfits that are worn once, and discarded. BUT, it doesn’t have to be this way…

To tackle this issue, Lucy & Yak have developed a long term ‘Buy Back Scheme,’ – which aims to keep its Yaks in circulation, – far beyond the life of the average piece of clothing.

Through working closely with Lucy & Yak’s engaged and forward-thinking community, – this new, collaborative scheme will work by trading in old Yaks, ready to be given new life, – in order to prevent clothing from unnecessarily ending up in wasteland.

A passion for the planet has always been at the centre of Lucy & Yak’s mission, and recirculation has long been the mindset. Already, any pieces with flaws or imperfections are sold via their (Im)perfect Yaks Marketplace, rather than thrown out.

Returns are sold on Lucy & Yak’s official Depop store, and their popular RE:YAK NETWORK provides an in-house space for their community to source new ways to upcycle, care, repair and recirculate their Yaks. Each one of these initiatives helps to keep clothes on people, and… out of landfill(s).

Lucy & Yak’s items are ‘responsibly new.’ Each piece is made from conscious materials, which are recycled, biodegradable, or organic, – with postage materials and stationary being 100% recycled and biodegradable.

Also, Lucy & Yak reinvests in projects that supports lasting positive change. Take the Fior Di Loto Foundation as just one example: each year on ‘Fior Di Loto Friday’ (Lucy & Yak’s positive response to Black Friday), – a third of all profits goes to the foundation, which provides an education to more than 700 girls living in the villages surrounding Pushkar, Rajasthan, in Northwest India. 

This year, Fior Di Loto Friday helped 220 children go to school. Other important initiatives boosted by Lucy & Yak included the Black Queer Travel Guide collection, and Planet Patrol. Now, they’re on a mission to raise £1 million for noteworthy causes by 2026.

Then there’s Lucy & Yak’s ‘Buy, Sell, Trade’ Facebook group (which has 16.6k members at time of writing), where members can buy, sell, trade, and creatively upcycle their Yaks with other Yakkers, – extending the life of each item.

At its heart, Lucy & Yak creates things that you’ll want to keep wearing again, and again, and again. Think timelessness over trendiness. Think design that promotes versatility and price accessibility. Think comfort that lasts. That’s Lucy & Yak. This ethos in itself – is an act of defiance against linear fashion. The writing is on the wall: Yaks are made to be loved today, tomorrow and forever.

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“Respect and passion for the planet has always been the grounding nature of Lucy & Yak, from day one. Creating a conscious, responsible environment is the thing that puts wind in our sails. Now, it’s time to blow this thought wide open,” said Lucy & Chris – Lucy & Yak’s Founders.

“With future-loving initiatives already in place, and with new, exciting ones on the horizon, we are holding ourselves to the highest possible standards when it comes to circularity. We are SO excited to launch our brand new Buy Back Scheme, which we believe will be game changing, so keep your eyes peeled on social media for more info,” added Lucy & Chris.

Founded by Lucy Greenwood and Chris Renwick in 2017, Lucy & Yak is an independent, people-focused brand, which is dedicated to upholding a positive environmental and social impact. It began life down under in New Zealand, after Chris and Lucy decided to quit their jobs and travel across the world. Here, they spent hours sewing on the beach, and making tobacco pouches from old clothes, which they sold to travellers. 

After traveling for a few years, Chris and Lucy eventually went back to the UK. Here, they bought a van, which they named ‘Yak’. They lived in the Yak, and they sold vintage clothing from it to get by.

One rainy night, they decided that their next trip would be to search for a manufacturer to create the designs that they had in their heads: dungarees! So they visited China, Thailand and India – in search of a small business to work with. They wanted to do things ethically, and help a family that really needed it. 

After searching for a long time, they finally met Ismail. He already looked after the two tailors that he worked with, as they were his friends. Together, they made 30 pairs of dungas. Lucy modelled, Chris was the photographer, and they took the photos in the 45-degree Indian heat. 

Chris and Lucy then sent the clothes back to Lucy’s mum, who uploaded them to Depop. They were a sell out in hours, so they made 100 more dungarees, and the same thing happened again. THIS was when they decided to put the logo on the front pocket. If you have one of their first ever pairs, you’ll know!

From here, they woke up one morning and thought, “let’s make a website.” So they went to an Internet cafe in Rishikesh, and they made a website. It wasn’t easy, as the internet connection was lousy, but they did it! And this is how Lucy & Yak was born. Once the website was live, Chris and Lucy flew back to the UK to fully establish the company. Then, they began to work out of their parents’ basement! 

Lucy & Yak now has 106 employees in the UK. Based out of Brighton, the brand has grown exponentially in just four years, and it was named on The Sunday Times: Fast Track ‘Ones To Watch’ list in 2020. They’ve also garnered a combined social following of 500,000+, with over 4 million views on the viral #lucyandyak hashtag on TikTok.

Known for their signature dungarees, joyful clothing and vibrant lifestyle products, Lucy & Yak’s little square logo (with a circular mindset) is fast becoming the future of conscious living.

Find out more here: https://lucyandyak.com