Catching up with old friends. 🍻

My Good Gents,

It’s always great hearing you all’s feedback. The weather is already starting to cool down and we can’t wait to start throwing on a few layers here, down south. Nonetheless, you Gents definitely have great taste when it comes to outerwear. But of course, there are no wrong choices. I’d love to see how you all are wearing these items, and I’ll need to figure how to go about a customer style challenge pretty soon. 😎

Last Friday, however, I received a text from an old friend, letting me know he was going to be in town for the weekend, and would like to catch up. It wasn’t really in the cards for me to hangout, or at least I really hadn’t planned on it. But to be honest it was good to hear from someone I hadn’t seen in a couple of years, especially one that was initiating a conversation and meetup. At this stage in life, that doesn’t seem to happen often, if at all.

Deveja aka @_djuice is a visual artist, menswear enthusiast, but also a very talented photographer whose work I’ve always admired. And so the thought of hanging out with a fellow creative, and catching up on life, was even more exciting. I initially had my mind set on a style photoshoot of my own that weekend, so I asked Juice if he would be interested in jumping in the shoot with me, to which he happily obliged. Awesome! But there was only one problem. ☝🏽

He was in the city for a rollerskating event hosted by his skate club, and didn’t really bring any of his signature threads. Because we had shot a Youtube video together years ago, this was no big deal. He also owns quite a few of our suits and coats, so I was already pretty familiar with his sizes. I informed him that I had my mind set on an all black outfit, and he quickly stated he wouldn’t mind doing something with shades of blue. He settled on our Dusty Blue Trucker jacket, pairing it with a pair of medium wash denim that we quickly picked up from the store, Damien Chelsea boots in Coffee, and his signature branded trucker hat. On the other hand, I kept things equally as simple, with one of my favorite graphic ringer tees, layered with our Signature Biker jacket, Miller Ranch Fedora, and Black Damien Chelsea boots (I know…I know…they’ll be back in all sizes later this Fall) 🥹. We both accessorized in our own unique ways, with jewelry and a couple bandanas I had laying around in the office. 

Because we threw everything together at the last minute, we weren’t able to secure a photographer to assist us with these photos. But honestly, that was the least of our worries. We placed one camera on a tripod, while switching the other back and forth between ourselves, working together with our creative minds, to come up with some cool angles of duo and single poses that captured the essence of both of our outfits. Juice also picked up a new ride a few months ago, a Z06 Corvette to be exact, which he drove from Dallas down to Houston, so it made for the perfect prop for our impromptu shoot.

It was extremely refreshing to work with another talented artist, exchanging ideas and concepts on the fly, all while having introspective conversations on random topics. It honestly didn’t feel like ‘work’, and it reminded me how important it is to surround yourself with people who you are mentally aligned with, find value in the work you do, and vice versa. 

We wrapped up the photo session in about 45 minutes, and decided to continue the conversations at Alley Kat, one of my favorite bars in the city. We had deep conversations about relationships, the state of masculinity, making tough sacrifices, and leading your family…the right way, alongside dealing with grief and loss. I'm a few years older than Juice, so I was also able to lean in on some advice regarding career goals, and the struggles of balancing ambition, inner peace, and purpose. Needless to say, I was really glad he reached out on such a short trip, but even more grateful, that he allowed me the opportunity to be friend, and brother, during such an important moment in his life. 

It made me think deeply of some of the friends I’ve lost touch with, and used to enjoy spending time around. As we get older, friendship and brotherhood is something that tends to end up on the back-burner. And to no fault of our own, it’s typically a result of our busy hectic lives, and all the burdens we have to carry. But I’ve always believed, time spent with quality friends is some of the best therapy we men can receive, and that we never knew we needed.

Sure, it can be challenging figuring out which friends we need to keep in contact with, and which we need to admit we’ve just outgrown. But I think we can all do better, at making time to spend with friends (old or new)….not just for them, but for us too. You never know what others are going through, or better yet, perhaps you’re the one in need of a shoulder to lean on. So do me a favor, and think hard about the men that have mattered in your lives. Then take a moment to reach out to a long lost friend today. You’ll be glad you did. 

PS: We are overdue for some classy casual work inspo, so that’ll be up next. Until next time! 🫡

Sincerely,

F. Lawson

Creative Director

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