Lazy Oaf celebrates two decades with birthday collection

London-based independent cult fashion label Lazy Oaf is celebrating reaching two decades in business with the launch of a 20th birthday collection paying homage to the history of the brand.

The limited-edition 38-piece collection is inspired by Lazy Oaf’s most loved prints and pieces from the last 20 years and spans apparel, accessories, gifts and homeware.

The birthday collection includes designs taken from the brand’s archive such as the So Tired Long Sleeve T-shirt and the Cereal Shirt Dress from 2014, as well as alternations of pieces like the Sandwich Unisex Pants that was originally a jacket back in 2013, and the resurgence of a 2011 bear in the Many Bears Knit Jumper.

Lazy Oaf creative lead, Shirley Webb, said in a statement: “We wanted to create a collection that marked the history of Lazy Oaf, so we trawled through our archives and picked out some of our most loved prints and designs from over the years.

“We also wanted to make it feel extra special by elevating the design and fabrication, like using a custom made faux fur for the Never Picked Furry Coat, and giving our iconic cloud print a birthday update with fabric woven with metallic threads in the Silver Linings Brocade Dress.”

Lazy Oaf is also launching a souvenir-style, commemorative memorabilia capsule collection to celebrate its birthday. The ‘Oaf Gift Shop’ that will feature homeware, gifts and memorabilia, such as plates and mugs “kind of like the queen has,” added the brand.

The Lazy Oaf 20th birthday collection is being released in three weekly drops from October 14. The memorabilia capsule drops on October 21, followed by a final ‘Oaf Gang’ collection of apparel and accessories launching on October 28.

Cult fashion label Lazy Oaf launches 20th birthday collection

Gemma Shiel founded Lazy Oaf twenty years ago with a printed design created in her garage in North London. The brand has evolved from a market stall in London to a lifestyle brand with two stores, offering an unconventional take on fashion with its fun, bold, graphic, print-focused designs.

Over the 20 years, the brand states that they have been through “many firsts, fails and triumphs” including surviving a few disasters including a global pandemic, floods, and a warehouse fire in 2017 that destroyed its stock and temporarily shut its website.

Lazy Oaf has also become known for its creative partnerships, collaborating with brands including Dr Martens, Underground, Vans, and earlier this year with Brazilian footwear and accessory brand Melissa on an eight-piece jelly collection incorporating bold daisies and signature Oaf heart badges.

Commenting on reaching two decades, Gemma Shiel, founder of Lazy Oaf, said: “Getting Oaf to 20 is an incredible achievement and I am proud of our team and incredible community for their unwavering support and love. We have some battle scars and many stories to tell! I loved working on the Birthday collection and delving deep into past collections throughout the years, both cringing over and falling back in love with some pieces that I had forgotten about.

“As well as running the Oaf ship, my first love and passion is design and creativity and am excited to release our Birthday Collection that takes our design ideas from the past and re-invents and re-introduces them to all of our incredible supporters as well as the new people that might be just discovering us.”

The Lazy Oaf birthday collection will be available to purchase exclusively at lazyoaf.com and in its two London stores.