A new two-storey Lucy & Yak store in Manchester is putting pre-loved fashion firmly at the heart of its proposition, with an entire 1,000 sq ft floor dedicated to giving clothes and garments a second life.
The socially and environmentally conscious fashion brand is relocating its Manchester store from High Street to a larger space on Oldham Street in the city’s Northern Quarter, with the new shop designed to act not just as a retail destination but as a hub for the brand’s circularity activity.
The focus on preloved reflects Lucy & Yak’s wider philosophy around keeping clothing in use for longer, with its stores increasingly being positioned as places where customers can buy, return, repair, customise and upcycle their ‘Yaks’.
The new Manchester store will continue to operate the brand’s Re:Yak buyback scheme, allowing customers to bring in clean Lucy & Yak items in any condition in return for a money-off voucher towards their next purchase. The shop will also host workshops focused on mending and repair.
It is a particularly fitting proposition for a store opening during Manchester Fashion Week, which positions itself as a more sustainability-minded alternative to the traditional fashion week model.
While major fashion weeks can be associated with new collections, seasonal consumption, and the constant push towards what is next, Manchester Fashion Week places greater emphasis on independent fashion businesses, creativity, community and more responsible approaches to the industry.
Lucy & Yak’s launch will form part of Manchester Fashion Week’s ‘Northern Quarter Mash Up’, which celebrates the area’s independent retailers and creative culture through in-store activations and events.
The new store will initially open to shoppers on Thursday 10 September during Manchester Fashion Week, ahead of its official launch party and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday 12 September.
The relocation is significant for Lucy & Yak. The brand’s distinctive pink High Street shop, which opened in 2023, has established a following in the city, but growing demand has prompted the move to a space twice the size.
The new two-storey store will feature a ground floor and basement, with two accessible fitting rooms and a wheelchair lift. Interiors will combine pink, yellow and soft wood tones, while the storefront will feature a colourful new artwork created by Manchester-based illustrator, animator, and designer Rick Hyde.
Hyde’s work has been created specifically for the store and draws on Manchester’s musical and footballing heritage, with references ranging from Frank Sidebottom to Happy Mondays woven into a psychedelic, colourful interpretation of the Lucy & Yak brand.
“Working with Lucy & Yak is a dream project,” said Hyde. “Their whole ethos is bright, positive, expressive and a little unexpected, which feels like a perfect match for my style.”
He added that the project had been an opportunity to contribute to the cultural landscape of the city, with the artwork intended as a “psychedelic explosion of colour and joy”.
The relationship with local creatives extends beyond the storefront. Ahead of the opening, the brand is inviting members of the Manchester community to become Paint Pals, taking part in a furniture-painting workshop with Hannah Wiles, furniture restorer and founder of Manchester-based Tread Softly Furniture.
The pre-loved furniture created during the workshop will subsequently be displayed in the new store, meaning the local community will have a direct hand in shaping the retail environment.
Lydia Coley, managing director at Lucy & Yak, commented: “We love our Manchester community and can’t wait to welcome them into our new store on Oldham Street.
“There’ll be an entire 1,000 sq ft floor dedicated to pre-loved items – a first of its kind for us – where shoppers can discover Yaks ready for a new home, as well as plenty of space to host our events programme, including our Re:Yak workshops.”
Coley said the Northern Quarter was a natural home for the brand because of its emphasis on self-expression and individuality.
“We feel very at home in the Northern Quarter, a vibrant cultural hub that’s all about expression and the freedom to be yourself,” she said. “It fits perfectly with our ethos to ‘Be More You’!”
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The expansion is part of a wider physical retail strategy for Lucy & Yak. The company now has 17 stores across the UK, including outlets in Portsmouth and Yorkshire, as well as stores in Brighton and Bath that exclusively stock the brand’s L&Y sub-brand.
Other Manchester Fashion Week events include sessions on using regenerative materials and exploting the balance between nearshoring, offshore manufacturing, and building resilient supply chains.
[image credit: Lucy & Yak]
