Shoelaced Clothing by Ryan Francis – An official sponsor of #ProjectScouted

Shoelaced Clothing has been a loyal and favourite sponsor for Lee Folkard Photography's Projects. This year he also happens to feature as a scout in #ProjectScouted. Headed and owned by Ryan Francis; a husband and father of three kids, Shoelaced Clothing is a fresh, edgy and daring brand. Ryan is always at the top of his game and this home-grown Durban boy is bringing that A-game to #ProjectScouted this year.

 Here's our Q&A session with the designer:

Lee Folkard Photography: What was your inspiration to become a designer and how did you start off?

Ryan: I have always had a great love and passion for designing and wanted to be a part of the fashion industry from a very young age. I've always loved expressing who I am and my personality through designing and creating clothing. I later found that by doing this I was also inspiring other people to be creative and unique too. So I decided to launch my own brand in 2011, Shoelaced Clothing, which has grown amazingly over the last few years.

LFP: How did you become involved in Project Scouted and what motivated you to be a part of it?

Ryan: The concept behind Project Scouted is one I live for, something I believe in and try to live by everyday through Shoelaced Clothing – and that is taking art to the next level. I believe that everybody has that special something about them but not all of us are brave enough to show it. Not all of us are willing to take the chance or the risk to go out and get what we love or do what we love. So I try to be that person that helps others by inspiring them to unlock that potential through my designing. I try to show people that no matter who you are or what your circumstances are, you can achieve your goals. I'm a passionate person that believes that if you don't try you will never know. So that's why I'm a part of a Lee Folkard Photography Project for the second time; because I believe in it.

LFP: Which designer's work do you admire or inspires you and why?

Ryan: I don't really have a favourite; I just love all designers and all creative, passionate people that love doing what they do.

LFP: What is the average day like for you?

Ryan: Coffee, coffee, coffee, meetings, meetings, coffee. And then designing after the sun goes down.

LFP: As a designer, what do you think about only certain looks and body types being portrayed as attractive in the media?

Ryan: I think it’s pretty ridiculous that the media portrays that you have to have a certain look to be attractive. For me it’s simple; fashion is an expression of personality which is something that everybody has and is different from the next person. So express yourself the way you want to, where you want to, and in whatever way you want to, no matter how big or small you think you are. It’s important to be proud of who you are. You may just inspire someone else to do the same!

LFP: If you were a drink, what drink would you be and why?
Ryan: Jack Daniels - with lime & ice. It’s smooth, like me!

Ryan and Shoelaced Clothing made their mark on the project as they hosted Phase Four with a fashion show at SMG Rocks. Those that were there would know that it was a memorable one. 

Images from the show can be seen at: 
Firsthouse Photography
Nilufer Yucel Photography
Street Pulse Photography

P.S. For anyone who hasn’t figured it out yet, Ryan is the one always ‘clowning around’.

Silence isn’t empty

If you have ever had the good fortune of knowing someone you could sit with, or do absolutely anything with, and not have to say a word; you have come to know one of the greatest feelings on earth. To just be able to be with another person; there’s no other pastime quite like it.

But of course something as profound as silence is perhaps only best understood by those who have the feeling to understand it. If someone does not understand your silence, they will most probably never understand your words.

 When it comes to silence in love; maybe it was Rumi who said it best, “Words are a pretext. It is the inner bond that draws one person to another, not words.” And that inner bond is given the opportunity to become tangible through the intangibility of silence.

Silence isn’t something always meant to be filled, it is not always a void. Silence is a place where beauty and life can truly be felt. Silence is not empty.

Keep smiling

“Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”

-       Dr. Seuss

Did you know that Dr. Seuss wasn’t actually a doctor? Yet he’s still quoted around the world for his great and simple insight into human beings and relationships through his children’s stories and artwork. Dr. Seuss was just a pen name he came up with incorporating his middle name. Officially he was Theodor Seuss Geisel. But not having a doctorate on a paper did not make him any less of a genius than he was.

He was known for his positivity and optimism and his inspiration to look for the good in all things and people. It wasn’t like Dr. Seuss didn’t know what it was to suffer. He’d made mistakes in his life, big ones and very grown-up, adulterated ones. But he got one of his greatest life lessons from them that he imparted to the world through his literature, which was to simply smile and move forward. Life might not be great, we might not be where we really want to be or who we want to be; but maybe if we just smile and push through, we’ll get through it alright.

In its entirety, life is too beautiful – albeit, too unpredictable – to cry over what could have, should have, or would have been. Our smile often stems from our joy, but every once in a while maybe we should just smile for the hell of it and let our joy stem from the miracle that it is to be alive (and able to smile).

Mistakes, the foundation of your own truth

We walk our own roads and choose our own paths. No two journeys are ever the same. And when we realize that, when we find our own path, we know that we will make mistakes somewhere down the line. But it’s those mistakes, the detours that we’ve taken along the way, that take us to where we ought to be.

Some mistakes end up being beautiful, and they are what adds colour to what could be a very dull life. And if by making a mistake you only learn to not judge others so severely, what greater a lesson?

Mistakes are inevitable. They lead us, teach us, grow us. There is not as much to be learnt from success as there is from failure. Mistakes are your own foundation of truth. And although they do not have to define the rest of your life, perhaps they could define they way you live the rest of it.

To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved

If you have ever been in love, you would know what a miracle loving someone else is. But if you have ever had the rare gift to be loved back by the person you love, you would know that the real miracle is being loved and not loving.

But even with how amazing love might be, to give and be given, it does not compare to being given the trust of another person. Love and trust should go hand in hand, but not all things work out idealistically. Someone might give you their love but not their trust, but when they do that’s when you know it’s really real.

Emotions are sacred; perhaps love the most sacred of them. But in giving someone your trust, you give them a key that can open up the doors to any part of you – parts that you had kept hidden. We can love but still be closed, but in trusting we open up ourselves to the possibility of agonizing pain and hurt.

To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved. If someone trusts you, it means they think that you are worthy of the most secret parts of them. That’s a gift and a compliment far more special than getting someone’s love.

“Life is under no obligation to give you what you expect.”

The general viewpoint when it comes to giving advice on having high expectations in any situation in your life is that if you expect nothing in specific you will never be disappointed. And maybe that’s one of the best pieces of advice out there.

There’s a fine line between being hopeful and pinning all your hopes on something you would like to happen. It’s not about being cynical, it’s about guarding your heart against the disappointment and sadness that follows an outcome not being able to rise to meet up to the heights that you have set in your mind. And although pain is necessary, some could be avoided.

Life then becomes a lot easier when you accept that people weren’t put on this earth to live up to your expectations and neither are you here to live up to anyone else’s. And then that lowered expectation leaves room for the surprise and joy that could come from having something good happen.

The harder you hold on to your expectations, of life and of people, you will find that they are like delicate China. With the right amount of grip on them, you can feel the beauty of the object, but if you hold it too tightly it will break and cut you.

Style. That’s what people remember.

People will remember things for different reasons; sometimes good, sometimes bad. But when it comes to making an impression on the world, especially in a time when very little is new and unique, all it takes is a little style and technique.

Terry Pratchett, an American novelist, once said, “If cats looked like frogs, we’d realize what nasty, cruel little bastards they are. Style. That’s what people remember.” That pretty much says it all. Looking at a cat, whether you like them or not, one can’t help but notice and admire their elegance, their graceful movements, their inherent style. Even when they’re doing something like licking themselves, it’s not disgusting in light of the poised manner they do it in.

Even the way that cats play with their prey doesn’t really seem like something pitiless and ruthless, but a catch that takes precision. And toying with that prey – not enough to kill it – is quite an act to watch.

Most of us have something that makes us stand out from others. Isn’t that what’s so great about being individuals? We don’t have to mould our uniqueness, we should just find that something that we do a little differently, in a style that no one else does, and let that be what people remember about us.

Looking back to move forward

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

-       Socrates

Socrates set the bar for most of Western philosophy and dedicated most of his enquiry and examination to the growth of human character and morality. He was a firm believer that once we as humans accept our ignorance and lack of knowledge in understanding the world and life itself, we would then be able to truly acquire genuine knowledge.

So it’s understandable that he would think that in order to experience a better and fuller future, one must look to the past for guidance and a little direction.

Maybe looking at what we could have done better in 2013, or even what we did not do at all, will give us a better chance of getting it right in 2014. Dredging up the past might not always be the healthiest thing to do; but at the start of a new year, taking stock of the year before could save you just a little time and effort – or maybe save you from making the same mistakes twice without even realizing it.

Socrates knew this. He knew that making mistakes is vital to growing as a person and building one’s character. But he also realized that because we all want a good future for ourselves, one of the best ways to get it is to look at the past and let our actions and experiences guide us to making better decisions in the present.

It was also Socrates who said, “Know thyself.” And that’s pretty important too. For if we look at our past and the life we’ve lived so far, doesn’t that give us greater insight into who we are and so move us along to where we ought to be?

You can't Escape

"When you can see the future, you think you're capable of changing it.

But you're just a witness to coming moments, unable to help, even if you wanted to and maybe you don't.

Sometimes you think you're supposed to learn something, about patience or distance, but in the end it's all about discipline.

Seeing things you don't always want to and just moving on.

After a while things become easier.

Your dream keeps your mind from wandering.

You begin to accept things as they are.

Every man has his destiny.

You can't escape it, even if you can see it coming."

[ LIFE ]

"Everything is more complicated than you think.

You only see a tenth of what is true.

There are a million little strings attached to every choice you make.

You can destroy your life every time you choose.

But maybe you won't know for twenty years.

And you may never ever trace it to its source.

And you only get one chance to play it out.

And they say there is no fate, but there is.

It's what you create.

And even though the world goes on for eons and eons, you are only here for a fraction of a fraction of a second.

Most of your time is spent being dead or not yet born.

But while alive, you wait in vain, wasting years, for a phone call or a letter or a look from someone or something to make it all right.

And it never comes or it seems to, but it doesn't really.And so you spend your time in vague regret or vaguer hope that something good will come along.

Something to make you feel connected, something to make you feel whole, something to make you feel loved."

The Novel

“Writing fiction is the art of weaving several lies to arrive at a greater truth.”

-       Khaled Hosseini

A good novel is like life delivered by the author to the world in the form of words between two covers. And there is no such magic as the magic contained in the written word.

Novels try to make sense of the world we live in while creating new worlds in our minds. Through the thoughts of even a fictional character birthed from a writer’s mind, you can make sense of what is going on in your own. The written word possesses a strange kind of power over us humans; it can bring us to tears, make us laugh, leave us craving something we never thought we wanted, or fill us with a hope we never knew existed.

Perhaps it is because it calls for us to be in charge of our own imaginations and to paint our own picture from a pallet of words, which makes the novel so special and unique. Or perhaps it is because it celebrates the art of story-telling that contrasts so much with our daily lives. In a novel, the story has been completed for us by the writer and we are not responsible for the actions of the characters, unlike in life where we have to take charge of what is written next in our own stories and be responsible for the choices that we make.

If you ever doubt the worth of the written word, of the novel, think about a time when you have picked up a book and have not been able to put it down because it had cast its spell on you and wrapped its words around you.

What is your favourite novel? 

[ Hello ]

A warm welcome to the newest member to the Lee Folkard Photography team; Sholene Ramdass.

Below is her first official blog post;

As the newly appointed assistant at Lee Folkard Photography, a very big hello!

Having so many interests and passions in life, I've never failed to grab any opportunity that has come my way. Applying for the position of assistant at Lee Folkard Photography, though, was a spur of the moment decision that proves that many things that are meant to be in life often happen without giving much thought to them. But now having got this awesome job, much to my surprise, I’m thrilled and very excited for the future!

This position will allow me to let my creative spirit run free and involves a lot of what I love – writing, fashion, entertainment, and photography of course, and will also broaden my horizons as a BA student majoring in Creative Writing.

 I hope to continue to keep you enthralled and captivated, as Lee has done so brilliantly, with the blog posts and to add a new element to Lee Folkard Photography, which has already established itself as an incredible company to be watched.

This is a new journey and there are great things on the way!

Sholene Ramdass; Photography by Lee Folkard Photography