Me!

A little about me…

My name is Gem, I have neon pink dreadlocks and I’m a fashion graduate with a love of all things twisted ^ _ ^

I love anything out of the ordinary and I adore people who aren’t scared of dressing up and standing way out from the crowd. My design work totally reflects this ethos. I try to be as eco-lovey as possible, whether it’s recycling fabrics/clothing, using organic products or just being very aware of waste by trying not to use too much water when felting or making sure I rework any scraps of fabric back into garments or accessories.

Most of my work is pretty costume based, not that it’s always something you’d only be able to wear on stage, then again I believe some famous dead guy once said “All the world’s a stage” right? I just mean that my work is not the sort of thing you’d normally find in your usual high street shops. I make things that are one of a kind so no fear of clashing outfits at the Christmas do.

My inspirations? Japanese Street Fashion, anime, historical costume, pirates, Tim Burton movies and anything that is either really cute or totally macabre (preferably a mix of both). I adore Tim Burton for his amazingly creative mind, John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood as amazing designers/artists and my style idols are Gwen Stefani, Lady Gaga and  Helena Bonham Carter.

Shibby History

I started Shibby in 2002, customising plain t-shirts and I had a stall on Camden’s Lock Market during one summer. It was all a bit basic, as you can see from these pics..

Eventually, and I have no idea how this happened, I ended up falling into the hair extensions business and did pretty damn well  in this industry for a good long while. It was fun designing dreadlocks for people, learning different techniques and playing with colour combinations.

After a couple of years, as the market started to become quite saturated I decided to go to university to study Fashion and Textiles. Now I’ve graduated, let’s hope I can take this somewhere.