Monday 10 November 2014

Yo Mama! An Interview with Tracey Hocking of Lazybones


Phew! I had to have some time off post Frocktober because I was completely exhaustipated*. Really dog tired!  
Exhausted but elated. But I'm back.

And I can't imagine a better way to come back, than with a brand new Yo Mama! This week I'm chatting with Tracey Hocking, the head designer behind one of my long time loves - Lazybones

I first bought a beautiful cotton vintage-inspired nightie from Lazybones about 10 years ago, that I wore religiously. I'm not even really a nightie kind of girl, but there was something different about this one, and it was made from the softest cotton. I still have it folded neatly away for when Tiny is bigger. 

It was from this beloved nightie that my love for the Australian label grew. Whenever I've been around Byron, I've always ducked my head in to see what's new with Lazybones, so today's chat is pretty exciting for me!

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PMM: You have a teenage son (tricky in itself!). How do you manage the whole parenting/working ratio?

TH: This is an ongoing source of angst for me.  However the teenage years are kind of great because now I am So Embarrassing apparently, I can feel a bit better if I am not always here.  But could not do it without my amazing wonderful husband who does so much for our son.


Do you have any tips for nailing it? Or even sort of nailing it?

Oh dear.  Not sure I can give any tips for nailing it but find that having something to look forward to makes all the difference for all of us.  Holidays to look forward to make those long school terms not seem as bad.

Oh and disconnecting the internet at bedtime…..



Part of the allure of Lazybones is the vintage vibe. Where do you seek inspiration? 

I sometimes wonder what I did before Pinterest…  And the whole internet in general.  An incredible wealth of ideas and images are available to us so readily.  I find the images, blogs and ideas  intoxicating and endlessly inspiring.  We use Pinterest a lot in our design team.  We build boards that expand on our initial concepts for each range. Each of us add to the board so that we get a real sense of where we want to go with a particular item.  

This is even extending to the creative people we work with in other countries now which is really exciting.  And specifically I love all eras from the 20s to the 60s and spend way too many hours looking at all manner of interesting things.


What is the best part of being the designer at Lazybones?

I am the head designer of a small team of wonderful, creative, generous, clever people.  That is the best bit.  Working with them.


And is there a downside?

No.  Oh, well only the fact that I cannot afford to make all the wonderful products we dream up….


Does your son have creative bones too?

Yes he does although he wanted me to say that he excels in creative excuses.




If you had to choose five words that described you - what would they be?

Focused, messy, creative, resilient, dreamer.


Tea or coffee?

Coffee definitely.


How do you take care of yourself?

I walk every morning with my dogs on a quest to spot our resident platypuses.  Lots of stretching and fast walking.


What's coming up next for Tracey?



OMG.  Setting up a shop in LA.  Who would have thought that would be a lot of work?  And be so complex?

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You can take a look at Lazybones collection here
Follow Lazybones (and their LA adventures) on Instagram
Check out Lazybones on Facebook
Go behind the scenes with the blog.
Take a look at the Pinterest inspiration here
Tweet the Lazybones team here.  



This is the 11th interview in my Yo Mama! series. Interviews with creative working mamas. Look out for them weekly. 

* Exhaustipated was a word an ex-colleague of mine used to use - when she was super tired. I never had the heart to tell her it wasn't a real word. 

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