Hellooooo, well done you for finding us in our little corner.
Im Lesley and Im the creator of YDay Apparel - pronounced Y - Day, not yiday 😂😂
Im a mum, an ex broadcast Journalist and an ex Women’s rugby player. (Sheesh a lot of exes there. ) I came up with the idea for YDay after being a stay-at-home mum for almost ten years, since leaving ITV the television network I’d worked for 7 years straight out of uni.
I’d thrown my all into my family, faith and f…. (Yup can’t think of something else with an f but you get the idea)
Then came the pandemic, and everything stood still.
instead of going back into the world of work… I was back home, home schooling, cooking every meal from scratch 3 Times day. One big thing that stood out for me was how little time I’d spent before covid sharing my African culture with my kids and subsequently they had very low pride or joy associated with it.
So I made T-shirts with their African (gh) names on it to teach them and help them stay connnected. I also made some of these shirts for my sibling and that’s where YDay was born. I had such a crazy response from people around me and a huge buzz of support that I realised, There’s something here. My sisters came on board with me, creating, advising , filming, modelling, editing …. And there’s a lot of people cheering me on.
We all want to be seen and represented and for the longest time I’ve not felt that, so in starting this brand and apparel that ; sparks conversations, a chuckle as people get it or a nod to honour our connections, all the while including everyone, I’ve never felt more seen. And I hope that’s exactly what our clothing will do for you.
Here’s to ____
Being Seen
Being represented
Being acknowledged
Being culturally rich
& Being Beautifully
Black British
Love Lesley.❤️