Siblings behind a Tyneside fashion firm have welcomed a second partnership with retail giant John Lewis.
Sisters Charlotte and Sophie Wilson, 33 and 26, founded YANA Active three months before the Covid pandemic hit in December 2019, with a mission to empower women by designing and manufacturing high-quality, sustainable activewear in the North East.
They were given a significant lift when John Lewis opened pop-up shops in Leeds and Newcastle, giving them a platform for their clothing, which is all designed and made in the region.
But when events were cancelled across the world, they admit that 2020 didn’t go to plan for YANA Active.
Despite having to change their strategy to continue growing, however, the sisters, who live in Jesmond, Newcastle, are this week launching their second collection in John Lewis.
The duo, who are originally from Skelton in North Yorkshire but settled on Tyneside after both graduating from universities in Newcastle, said they were delighted to be welcomed back to the popular department store.
“2020 was not the first year we expected or envisioned for YANA,” said co-founder Sophie Wilson. “We planned to visit several large fitness events across the country to showcase YANA but Covid quickly halted that.
“Instead we had to focus on our online presence and find ways to engage with our customers, whilst designing new products in the background.”
YANA Active’s products are all designed in-house by Charlotte and manufactured in the North East.
Charlotte Wilson said: “The new 2.0 Collection is a big leap for YANA with the introduction of recycled fabrics and pieces manufactured in facilities using renewable energy.
“Manufacturing in the UK was a conscious decision when launching YANA as we want to do our bit to help the environment. Introducing recycled fabric into our collection is the next logical step for YANA and something we’ve had planned for a while.
“We bring like-minded women together to empower one another, but now we can help our customers make conscious fashion choices that are good for the environment.”
YANA Active will have a pop-up shop on the first floor opposite Ori Café in John Lewis Newcastle branch until Sunday.
