Gemma Shiel is the founder and creative force behind Lazy Oaf, the London fashion label known for its bold graphics and playful, subversive spirit. Shiel started the brand in 2001, selling hand-printed T-shirts at a market stall, building it into an international favourite with collaborations spanning Disney, Dr Martens and Hello Kitty. Her work is defined by cartoonish prints, irreverent slogans and a rebellious DIY ethos.
Here, Shiel shares her favourite things – from scents to cardigans and curtains.
Ffern Summer 22, £89
My hunt for the perfect mascara is over as, now I’m getting older, most days I don’t bother with any make-up at all. So instead I am into nice smells. At the moment my favourite is an archive Ffern scent, Summer 22. Both my husband and I share it and love how it smells different on both of us. It smells like a wild citrussy meadow and reminds me of holidays.
I live in You Must Create knitwear from October until when it gets above 15°C. I am a fan of wearing as many clothes as possible and my summer wardrobe is my most boring wardrobe. I invest in a heavy cardigan from YMC and wear it to death, freezing it in my freezer during the summer to keep those infernal moths away from the spenny stuff. Sorry fish fingers and peas, no room for you in this house – I am storing my precious knits! I love this YMC option at the moment.
I am also stalking this one from British knitwear brand Hades. A brand that is definitely freezer drawer-worthy.
I love a chunky ring and am often wearing as many as I can possibly cram onto my chipolata-style fingers. My favourite ones are by my Soho store’s neighbours, the institution that is The Great Frog. Both me and my hairy other half bought our wedding rings from here, and the one I get the most compliments on is my Mickey skull ring.
Rachel Ama jerk marinade, £6.99
I love food and am very lucky to have a chef husband who is so creative and generous. I have embraced the elastic waistband and am not apologetic about it. A recent discovery that I need everyone to know is Ama’s jerk marinade. It is a sensation. It makes my average cooking talent look genius. It’s female founded, vegan, all natural and brings so much flavour to veggies as well as chicken; it really delivers. It is also by the amazing Rachel Ama.
Since turning 40, or what in polite circles we are now calling my “mid-life” era, I have become addicted to tattoos. Getting tattooed, for me, has opened a level of unapologetic body confidence I never thought I would have. It has allowed me to get my bingo wings out and not feel like I want to hide bits. I follow so many artists and it’s very much something I would also love to be able to do. My favourite artist is Poppy Crew. She has her own small studio in Hackney and is the loveliest person. I have several of hers and know that I will be back.
Oeuvres Sensibles clothing curtains, various prices
At the moment I am in awe of Sarah Espeute’s work, especially her clothing curtains, and I dream of being able to splash out on this incredible shirt for my window. It’s whimsical, delicate, full of wonderment and has a practical use – all the ticks.
Muji 0.5 gel pen in black, £1.95
My favourite thing to do is draw and this is where all the ideas for my brand start to take their first form, be it a character sketch, a clothing shape or a spider gram. I always have a stack of paper and my most trusty black pens. My favourite is Muji’s gel ink 0.5 pen in black. I have just discovered they come in boxes of 10 so am fully stocked up for the foreseeable.
My favourite wrist accessory has got to be a digital watch, and one with a light-up screen. I am really bad at using my phone to see the time and look to the wrist for this information. My go-to watch is a Casio G-Shock or Baby-G. Perhaps it’s nostalgia but I really love the block colours they come in, and that I get reminded what the date is (and sometimes I need to know what day it is). My current favourite is this butter yellow version.
Little Beast The Betty Raincoat, currently on waitlist
Barbara is the name of my wire-haired sausage dog. She recently got fat shamed at the vet – my spoilt baby girl just gets one too many treats. Regardless I think she really needs this black and white polka dot raincoat from Little Beast even if it is just to minimise the amount of fox poo that she rolls in.
