Our latest G.E.M project is here and perhaps the last for a few seasons while the label takes a hiatus as we continue to navigate ourselves through covid. G.E.M is the venture label created by founder and creative director of Lazy Oaf, Gemma Shiel. Celebrating girlhood and guts, G.E.M is a reflection of her own experiences running a streetwear brand for almost 20 years. A sister brand to Lazy Oaf, G.E.M has been a personal outlet to create pieces that most resonate with her offbeat approach to fashion and being a teen in the riot grrl era.
“It has been a blast to create 6 collections under the G.E.M label, it has given me the opportunity to be a little more playful and experimental. Running a business during a pandemic has been incredibly bumpy and I have had to make so many hard decisions and put much-loved projects on hold for us to be able to survive and come out the other side. I am so in love with the little collection we are about to launch and really feel G.E.M was just getting into it’s groove. I hope to revisit designing and creating G.E.M again in a couple of season’s time, when I have the time, energy and headspace it deserves, until then I hope you enjoy it! ” - GEM x
The sixth G.E.M collection is pure pattern overload, balancing just the right amount of flounce and femininity on an edge of no apologies and attitude. Tapping into some of the original punk scene inspirations behind the label, G.E.M VI is decorated with scribbled DIY doodle patterns in Gemma’s own handwriting - advocating for being the author of your own story and having the guts to stand up for something. These graffiti inspired hand drawn prints are sprayed across feminine dresses, juxtaposing ‘romantic’ shapes with urban anarchy, grit and sass - as seen on graphic tees featuring 80’s inspired wild cats. Punchy bright colours and oversized, exaggerated shapes offer a continuation of the core maximalist aesthetic that has run throughout the G.E.M ranges.
