Whitby Yard: clothing brand celebrating the Yorkshire coast

When she was a child at primary school in London, Jacquie Fox was so obsessed with whales that she and her friends founded ‘Whale Club’.

'I’ve always loved whales,” says Jacquie, whose designs inspired by the sea creatures now adorn casual clothes in ice cream tones in her shop, Whitby Yard.

'In Whale Club, we made little badges, and we used to sit in the woods and talk about whales. I mean, how bizarre! We had poster which we stuck on a tree, with all the different whales on it!'

Ice cream-inspired pastels are popular colours says Jacquie Image: Mary Davies PhotographyIt’s an obsession that’s stood her in good stead – Whitby Yard, on the resort’s bustling Church Street, has already spawned a second incarnation in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, just up the coast.

It feels like a long migration from a childhood in Southfields, near Wimbledon in south London.

'I used to work for in procurement for a blue chip company,' Jacquie explains. 'I met my husband, John, through the industry. He lived in Leeds and has two children, so it made sense for me to move up north. I spent a weekend in Leeds and thought, yes, it has enough shops to keep me satisfied – I love shopping, especially for clothes!'

Seaside and nautical themes in the Whitby Yard store. Image: Mary Davies Photography The couple lived initially in Collingham, near Wetherby, then when Jacquie sold her flat in London, they had enough money for a deposit on a second home.

'He took me to Whitby, which I’d never been to, and I thought, ‘wow, this really reminds me of Cornwall – it’s like Padstow,' she says.

'So we bought a holiday home here. And as I was walking round the town, I realised I couldn’t find any clothes I wanted to buy.'

The Whitby Yard message has sailed down the coast to Saltburn-by-the-Sea and a new store. Image: Mary Davies PhotographyThat sparked an idea which developed when Jacquie turned 50, and John took her on a surprise holiday to New England. The couple visited Martha’s Vineyard, the Massachusetts island which has long been a summer escape for America’s elite, as well as Cape Cod and Boston.

'I kept seeing beautifully coloured t-shirts with coastal designs on, and I said to John, ‘that’s what’s missing from Whitby – everything there is very gothic and black’.'

The couple got engaged while they were in New England, and then in 2019, married on the Isles of Scilly, where another element of Jacquie’s big idea was added.

The whale motif inspired by Jacquie's love of the sea Image: Mary Davies Photography'We found The Isles of Scilly Store,' Jacquie says. 'They sold Isle of Scilly t-shirts, and I thought, Whitby needs its own brand – a nice t-shirt or hoodie that someone can take home as a memento of their holiday there.

'Then, just before lockdown, I was made redundant – and at the same time I was going to university, part-time, to do interior design. It all felt like a massive opportunity coming together.

'I started doodling around and came up with Whitby Yard – everyone assumes it’s because of the yards [the tiny courtyards nestled amongst the crowded housing in the back streets of Whitby] here, but I actually named it after Martha’s Vineyard – but you can take it however you want!'

Ice cream-inspired pastels are popular colours says Jacquie Image: Mary Davies PhotographyJacquie started by designing her signature whale tail, followed by a crossed oars graphic and a lifebuoy image. She had a range of tees and hoodies printed up and at Christmas 2019 took them to Whitby’s picturesque festive market, held in colourful beach huts, where they were a great success.

Covid slowed things down a little, but by 2020, Jacquie was ready to move into bricks and mortar, taking on a small shop a few doors up from her current premises on Church Street.

'And before I knew it, people were buying my hats and t-shirts!' she says. 'The first time I ever saw someone wearing something of mine, my mum and I were at York Railway Station just after that first Christmas, and I saw a guy wearing a hoodie that looked familiar. I went running after him and told him I designed it. He said he loved it, and his mum had bought it for him from the Christmas market. I still get excited if I see someone in the street wearing something I’ve designed.'

A selection of colourful t-shirts in the range Image: Mary Davies Photography By 2022, she’d decided to open that second shop in Saltburn, where the Whitby Yard vibe is more about surfing: “There’s a big surf community in Saltburn, so I do surfy t-shirts for them, with a surfboard and the co-ordinates of the town, although the shop is still called Whitby Yard.'

And by 2023, she’d outgrown her tiny premises on Church Yard and moved into a larger shop at the of the street, not far from the famous Swing Bridge, where she’s now supported by her loyal team: Rebecca, Teresa, Caroline, Karen, Scarlett and Claire.

'I designed the interior here myself with a New England feel – all navy and white, with all the whale tale hooks and cupboard handles – they’re everywhere! And I wanted my colours to be all the pastel colours of ice cream, although I’ve gone brighter since then on some things: I have the oars on red, as they remind me of Harvard University. I don’t do black - I want people to walk in here and think, I haven’t seen anything else like this in Whitby.'

Seaside-blue shades in the store. Image: Mary Davies Photography And despite that lifelong love of the creatures, Jacquie has yet to see a whale off Whitby.

'We went to New Zealand last year, and I saw one, and started crying: it’s so emotional to finally see something you absolutely love. We get minke whales off Whitby, but I’ve never seen one – I went on a whale watching trip on the Yellow Boat, but I obviously don’t have sea legs – I was sick three times!'

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