FAQs

General FAQs

Who is Yarn?

We are an online marketplace offering a large variety of Indigenous designed products including luxury fashion, streetwear, accessories, outdoor apparel and homewares. Our mission is to support Indigenous artists and communities, as well as spread appreciation of First Nations art and culture with a broad Australian audience. We have created Yarn as a way of furthering this mission on a larger scale. Through Yarn and our inhouse and partner brands, we are able to showcase new artists, support community organisations, and offer a large range of products. For more information about the beginnings of Yarn check out our Blog.

What is the meaning behind the name Yarn?

The name Yarn has a duel meaning. The first is in reference to yarn, the spun thread that many of our beautiful clothing and homewares are made of. The second meaning connects to the First Nations tradition of storytelling. To “have a yarn” means to “have a chat”, yarn is an informal English word used in Australia, England and the USA. It is a word often associated with the telling of long rambling stories. Yarn closely connects to the unique stories that each of our featured artworks tell.

What is the meaning of the Yarn logo?

Our logo is designed by Indigenous Artist Holly Sanders, a proud Aboriginal Bundjalung woman. The centre concentric circles represent a meeting place, symbolising Yarn Marketplace, a place and a platform for First Nations owned brands and small businesses to grow and flourish. The surrounding U shaped symbols represent people and the First Nations artists, art centres, businesses and community organisations which Yarn Marketplace helps to support and promote.

What is Yarn’s Mission?

Yarn’s mission is to provide a platform that supports Indigenous artists, communities and small businesses and start-ups so that all Australians can develop an appreciation of First Nations art and culture. We are passionate about supporting and elevating Indigenous businesses through sharing our marketplace platform, infrastructure and resources. You can read more about our mission and impact here.

Is Yarn Indigenous owned?

No, Yarn is not Indigenous owned. Yarn however exists to support Indigenous artists and communities. Through our brands, Yarn collaborates and supports many individual Indigenous artists and Art Centres Australia-wide. Through our platform we will also support other Indigenous owned businesses by sharing our resources through our marketplace. Our mission is to support Indigenous artists and communities as well as cultivate appreciation of First Nations art and culture with a broad Australian audience.

Does Yarn support Indigenous communities?

Yes we do and it is our priority! Our extended product range gives us the ability to support many more Indigenous non-for-profits, individual artists and Art Centres. Every Yarn sale supports our partner charities and community organisations. These funds also support our partner artists and art centres. We also have a strong focus upon providing Indigenous training and employment opportunities.

You can find out more about our support of Indigenous community organisations and artists here.

Does Yarn partner with Indigenous artists?

Yes we do. We at Yarn partner with many individual artists and art centres. These partnerships allow Yarn to showcase a large diversity of Indigenous artistic styles from all across Australia through both our inhouse and partner brands. We are committed to ensuring that all collaborations with artists are conducted in a way that empowers them to tell their unique stories and share their voices. Each of our partner artists is paid through a structure that best suits them. You can find out more about our artists here.

What products does Yarn offer?

Through our new Yarn in house and partner brands we are offering a larger variety of products like clothing, accessories, homewares, outdoor apparel and much more. Stay tuned for new product releases!

Can you wear our designs as a non-Indigenous person?

Yes, indeed! Through wearing authentic Indigenous art created by our partner artists, you show appreciation for the stories and culture. We believe through sharing this wearable art, together we generate a wider audience and louder voice for the First Nations culture. Our goal is to create positive conversations and in turn, better the understanding of this nation’s proud culture. We value that sharing of culture leads to respect and the coming together of different communities and in turn all Australians.

Do you have a physical retail store?

No, Yarn is a purely online marketplace.

Why does the size I want say it's sold out?

Unfortunately, Sold Out means there is no more in stock. If you want to be notified as soon as the stock comes in, just click on the out of stock size you want and follow the prompts! You will receive an email when stock arrives.

Do you have gift vouchers?

Yes we do! Click here to purchase.

Shipping & Returns FAQs

How long until my purchases arrive?

Orders are shipped Monday-Friday during office hours. Yarn is shut during public holidays. We aim to send out your order as fast as possible, although occasionally there are slight delays when we have released new collections. We do appreciate your patience!

Please refer to our shipping & returns page for current updates.
Once your order has been shipped, you will receive an automated shipping confirmation email. Make sure you check your spam filters and junk mail if you can't locate it. If you still haven’t received your confirmation email it is likely that there was a typo in the email address you entered. Get in touch with our friendly customer service team and they will assist you.

What is your return policy?

Three things you need to know:

- You cannot return free gifts and promotional items, except if the item is faulty upon receiving it.

- You must return your garments within 45 days of receiving your gear.

- It needs to be unwashed, unworn with the tags attached (you can of course try it on). Sorry, but if the garment shows signs of being worn we cannot accept them.

What return options can I choose from?

You may select from a refund or a store credit. We do not do exchanges for loss prevention reasons. To lodge a return, head to our Returns Portal and follow the instructions.

What if I received a faulty item?

We apologise if you have. We are sticklers for quality here at Yarn but things sometimes happen. If you have received a faulty item, please head to our Returns Portal to process the free return.

Ordering & Manufacturing FAQs

Can I cancel my order?

We can cancel your order but only when the order hasn't shipped at this point of time. Just contact us via our Live Chat or Phone.

I have placed an order but I forgot something - can I add to it?

Sorry the only way to purchase this item is to place another order.

My order has already been shipped but I noticed that the listed address is incorrect, is there anything I can do?

Don’t worry simply contact Australian Post, provide your order tracking number and they will be able to assist you.

Where are Yarn's inhouse brand products made?

We at Yarn are a very multicultural group of individuals, composed of both First Nations and non-Indigenous team members, who design all products in-house here in Brisbane. In the process, we collaborate closely with Indigenous artists and the implementation and celebration of their authentic Indigenous artworks is the foundation of our products and our mission.

We have heavily invested in Australian manufacturing and employment. We operate from state of the art facilities here in Brisbane where we specialise in the design, decoration and processing of our garments. More complex garments are designed in-house but produced offshore in China.

Our manufacturing partner, a family-owned garment factory in China (workplace of 300 people), shares our drive to develop sustainable and ethical production, something we here at Yarn are very passionate about. The factory owner - a Chinese Australian couple - lived for a long time in Australia and continues to share this passion. In 2005, they moved back to China with the ambition of establishing a state of the art production facility there.
We maintain a close relationship with our Chinese partner and visit regularly to ensure working and quality standards are met and fair conditions for the staff are guaranteed.