What we think of Lazy Oaf’s latest interior venture

Lazy Oaf has recently released their first official interior range adorned with happy and sad faces - but how does it make you feel?

“It’s been emotional” was the caption of a recent Lazy Oaf Instagram post that showed a pair of the popular happy-sad socks surrounding one of the brand’s new stoneware buddy vases. On the 5th of November, Lazy Oaf released a new homeware collection inspired by emotion and riding the witty wave all too familiar to their identity. Homeware is a fresh venture for the innovative fashion house that has been a reliable source of silly and unique clothing since 2001. 

Lazy Oaf has been teasing the collection since the start of the month but, thankfully, didn’t keep us waiting too long as images of their limited, minimalist collection quickly made their way to the online website. Sneak peeks of smiley face plates, bath mats and candles have all made their way on to the brand’s Instagram that boasts 966k followers.

The history of Lazy Oaf

Lazy Oaf was founded by Gemma Shiel shortly after she left university in 2001. Setting up shop on a market stall in Spitalfields, Lazy Oaf quickly skyrocketed to popularity for its out-of-the-box designs setting it apart from the oh-so-serious streetwear presence at the time. 

Since starting out with a small collection of hand-printed tops, not much has changed in the essence of Lazy Oaf but the popularity of the brand that now boasts a flagship store in Soho and 250 stockists worldwide. 

It’s the scribbled creativity that adorns each witty item and the constant knot-knowing of what will come next that has sustained the brand’s popularity for over two decades. Well, that and the brand’s ever-evolving consciousness dedicated to the health of the planet and empathy towards people and animals.

Why Blue Chip loves Lazy Oaf

In 2019 Vice released an enthusiastic article surrounding Lazy Oaf’s escape from the dark cloud of fast fashion. Revelling in ‘taking it slow,’ the article noted that alongside an unavoidable sense of fun and sarcasm, Lazy Oaf is a brand that is determined to take their time and take it seriously.

Lazy Oaf is a forward-thinking inspiration for modern-day brands when it comes to total transparency. On their website you can find a whole ‘Oafesto’ on ethics and sustainability that the brand swears by. Leading with the statement “happy product, happy people, happy planet” the Oafesto boasts a series of beliefs that hit the aims of the world on the head.

“As a company, Lazy Oaf is committed to becoming a more sustainable and responsible business wherever possible. This is a work in progress for us right now and we are on a journey to get better and improve all of the time,” their website states. Alongside this introduction is a list of commitments - some initiated at the start of their journey, some more recently. 

As well as releasing their first vegan shoe in 2019 alongside Dr. Martens, The PETA approved brand does not use any animal products in their clothing and are dedicated to working alongside conservation charities to collaborate and raise donations. 

Lazy Oaf has an Ethical Standards Policy as well as their own tailored standards policy that support their garment suppliers in building and improving their ethical footprint. Lazy Oaf also ensures that all workers are paid fairly and treated well within their unexceeded working hours, as well as being of legal working age.

When it comes to sustainability, Lazy Oaf is making strides: from completely compostable and recyclable packaging to hosting their first Lazy Oaf clothes swapping event in 2019 and eco-friendly swimwear line in 2020 (shame we couldn’t jet off and make the most of it!) 

Lazy Oaf are completely transparent when noting the repurposing of sample items through customer sample sales; the fact they ship items by sea or road to cut down on air pollution and their acknowledgment of the importance of noting that any product not suitable to be sold or donated will be recycled and will not end up in landfill - a process many brands are less keen to share with their audiences.

Alongside the long list of reasons to love Lazy Oaf is their tendency to not shy away from giving back, having worked alongside organisations such as the Whale and Dolphin Conservation charity on collaborations and donations. 

Lazy Oaf also does a lot for the wellbeing of workers and people within its community, having launched a non-profit collaboration collection and creative workshops with mental health awareness campaign Time To Change (run by Mind and ReThink) They also donate all the money from studio sample sales to local mental health and charity Young Minds.

So… about the new homeware collection?

Well, the new homeware collection seems to be a delightful continuation of their happy sad collection. Inspired by the countless hours the Lazy Oaf family were spending indoors due to lockdown, they decided to create their own minimalist designs of the most used items within the home - including bath mats, water bottles, ceramic plant pots and plates - everything you need to complete your lockdown lifestyle.

“The range was designed with lo-fi lazy moments in mind, with a simple palate and of course our ridiculous sense of humour,” the Lazy Oaf site states. “We are so proud to work with incredible creative startups on beautiful limited edition and exclusive lifestyle products, such as Ella Hookway Ceramics, Lund London and Ohros Candles.” 

The collection is an assortment of monochrome designs that toy with splashes of primary colours here and there. Lazy Oaf worked alongside hand-pouring, vegan soy candle enthusiasts OHROS to create the perfect candles for a lazy Sunday morning (including coffee and caramel scent). They also worked with Lund London to make bobble-headed water bottles and with Ella Hookway to produce clean and prim ceramics that are (in our opinion) too pretty to pot.

But are the items worth the money?

We would say ‘go-ahead’ to treat yourself to a flower bed print fabric plant pot that splurges colour (£20) but when it comes to the Ella Hookway ceramics, although they're undoubtedly a must-have in any home, and buying one would mean you’re continuing to champion independent creatives, they’re also £50. (We like to think that if you can’t afford three of them, it usually means you shouldn’t splurge on one!)

When it comes to their rugs, mats and bedding - yes they’re quirky and fun (and 100% cotton and limited run), but they’re definitely pricey. The cheapest bed-set is £110 and one of the first items to sell out. The cheapest throw costs an astonishing £80. We wouldn’t advise you against buying what you like (the designs are wacky and definitely something to be adored in any home) but the pricing is quite unjustifiable for many apart for the odd few. 

If you’re a die-hard Lazy Oaf fan and strongly believe in everything they are doing for people, the planet and animals, we’d cross the line into the realms of ‘worth it’. They’re making strides to be completely wasteless and ethical in all aspects of their brand, and that’s something worth supporting. 

Many items have already sold out (and if that doesn’t say enough about the popularity of this brand new venture, I don’t know what does) If there are any items you didn’t manage to get your hands on in time then simply enter your email and get notified when the next items come up, and keep an eye out - we foresee some worthwhile homeware pieces popping up in Lazy Oaf’s future lifestyle collections.