Gemma Shiel is the creator, designer and owner of the Lazy Oaf; one of East London’s most beloved fashion labels, famous for its use of bright colours, cute characters and distinct style. Gemma has been producing her quirky designed clothes for years now, starting out in 2001 with a market stall in east London, today the Oaf is an internationally recognised brand with products selling in Japan, Italy and Paris as well as the UK.

With the Tate weekend over, a new collection ready for launch and an Oaf publication on the way the last few months have been pretty hectic for Gemma and the team. I recently caught up with the London fashion queen to find out about the new mag, her inspriration and how it all started.

Tell us about your background, how did the Lazy Oaf start?
Lazy Oaf has been going for as long as I’ve been illustrating so about 8 years now. I first became interested in illustration while studying textile design at Nottingham Trent University, which i absolutely hated. After finishing i moved to London and started selling my own hand screen printed t-shirts on a market stall, it all grew from there really.

What is Lazy Oaf at Loud Tate?
Well this is the first one i have been involved in and the reception so far has been fantastic. We sold out of tickets to the t-shirt workshop in the first 20 minutes. We’ve had such a wide variety of people come down today, men and women aged from 12 to 35.

On Thursday your launching the Lazy Oaf zine, how did the idea of a magazine start?
I’ve always wanted to produce a zine so i could do more illustration work and get away from the t-shirt design thing for a bit. The Oaf zine we’re producing will be out twice a year and each one will have a different theme. We’re getting guest illustrations to contribute in each one as well.

Like who?
Well i can’t really say everyone just yet, but we have been working with John Slade and Jemma Coral. The Zine gives us the opportunity to get the illustration side of the Oaf out there.

Who have been your biggest influences?
Haha, don’t tell him i said this but Ian Stevenson, he’s a friend of mine but i love his work. I also really like Mike Perry and Lesly Hall, shes amazing.

What music has been keeping you going recently?
We’re always listing to BBC Radio 6 in the office. As for bands at the moment I’m loving The Phenomenal Hand Clap Band and Young Fathers.

Whats your favorite animal?
I love Dogs, in particular French Bulldogs, oh and Chimps!

Whats next for the Lazy Oaf?
We’re having a launch party for our new zine on Thursday the 1st of October at the Old Shoreditch Station on Kings Land Road. They’ll be drinks, music, products from our new collection and more importantly we’ll have our first ever solo exhibition. It all kicks off at 7pm so be sure to get their early.

To find out more about the Lazy Oaf you can vist their website at www.lazyoaf.com