Meet Gemma: The Artist Behind Our Dino, Berry, Butterfly and Adventure Prints
Every morning my three-year-old pulls open his drawer, considers his options with great seriousness, and picks the rainbow dino print hoodie. That's the thing about Gemma's work — kids don't need to be talked into it.
Gemma is the illustrator behind Ladybird and Roar, and the creative force behind some of our most-loved designs — Dino Explorer, Butterfly Meadow, Berry Sweet, and Construction Crew. All of the colorful and playful patterns on our Adventure Print Sun Hoodies. She draws from a little town in the Cotswolds countryside in the UK, usually on an iPad, usually inspired by whatever strange and wonderful thing her own two kids are obsessed with that week.
Why we wanted her
Alpenshade started with a simple, slightly stubborn idea: sun protection shouldn't be a fight. We can engineer the best sun protective fabric in the world, but if a kid won't put the hat on, the hat isn't protecting anyone.
That's where the prints come in. Gemma's designs do the persuading for us. A Reversible Sun Hat in Butterfly Meadow isn't "the thing mom makes me wear" — it's the hat with the butterflies, the one that flips to a whole different look when you get bored of the first one. The Dino Explorer print now runs across kids' hats, hoodies, and even a matching men's hoodie, because it turns out grown-ups like dinosaurs too. (If you want the most guaranteed compliments on the trails and playgrounds, try one out.)
Her style is unapologetically bright, and that suits us. Sun protection tends to get designed like medical equipment. We'd rather it look like a good day outside.
In her own words
“Hi, I'm Gemma, the colour-loving creative behind Ladybird and Roar!
I live in a little town in the Cotswolds countryside in the UK with my family, and I'm a mum to two young children. By day, I work in healthcare as an oncology dietitian, but whenever I get a spare moment, you'll usually find me either on the netball court or doodling colourful designs on my iPad, often inspired by my children and the wonderfully weird things they love!
My style is bold, bright and full of personality. I'm a big believer in dopamine dressing and the idea that what you wear should make you feel absolutely fabulous. I love creating joyful prints that bring a little bit of fun and colour into everyday life.”
Dopamine dressing, with a UPF rating
"What you wear should make you feel absolutely fabulous" is a good design brief for a party dress. It's an even better one for a sun hat, because a hat that makes a kid feel fabulous is a hat that stays on their head — through the playground, the hike, the three hours at the lake.
Every Alpenshade piece is made from GRS-certified recycled fibers and built for real days outside. Gemma's prints are what make those days feel like a treat instead of a rule.
You can find her designs on our Reversible Sun Hat, our Adventure Print Sun Hoodies, and the matching men's Dino Explorer hoodie — because someone has to twin with the dinosaur kid.
And you can find more of Gemma's colour-drenched world over at Ladybird and Roar on Instagram.