Quirky dungarees brand set to take over Northern Quarter institution

A fashion brand known for its quirky dungarees is to move into the spot left vacant by a Northern Quarter institution. Lucy & Yak will take over the High Street unit that was formerly the much-loved gift shop Oklahoma.

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.

It uses organic materials and recycled fabrics in its garments, which also now include jeans, jumpsuits and loungewear. The company was named by The Times last year as the 21st fastest growing business in the UK, amassing sales of £17.42 million over the last three years.

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The brand now has a host of famous endorsees, including the likes of Ed Sheeran, actress Melissa McCarthy, Giovanna Fletcher and Jenny Ryan.

Sheeran even collaborated with the brand with a line called Ed & Yak, which was launched ahead to coincide with his Mathematics tour. Lucy & Yak also has stores in Brighton, Bristol, Norwich, Nottingham and Cambridge.

More branches are set to open in Liverpool, Cardiff and Exeter later this year. Oklahoma sadly closed its doors at the beginning of the year, after more than 25 years in the Northern Quarter.

Owners of the shop, which sold everything from handmade jewellery, clothes, home and kitchenware items to stationery, said that they were going to ‘focus all [their] energy on its online offering’.

In a message on social media, owner Nicola Payne thanked staff and customers of the shop, and said that owning the shop had been ‘an absolute blast’.

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