Interviews
Imran Ciesay & Solomon Boyede
Co-founders of Places + Faces
Akiharu Ichikawa

Since launching P+F, what are the biggest challenges you’ve faced? What have been your biggest learnings?

We’ve been through a lot of trials and tribulations just to get to where we are today. One of the biggest challenges has been getting out ideas and know when to release them out to the public.

We’ve learned a lot, especially from our travels. We’ve also learned to practice patience when it comes to having an idea and on how to build and improve on it with time.

The fashion industry has experienced a lot of ups and downs in recent years. What do you think about the current state of the industry and what do you see as the biggest issues facing the industry today? Specifically, what are your thoughts on the state of streetwear?

Fashion is just another form of artistic freedom which solely reflects an individual’s mind state. With that being said I would have to say that streetwear is in its freest form ever, with almost everybody and anybody having the power to create their own brand and style today and advertise it via social media.

Do you have any expectations for where the industry is heading?

We truly believe everything is 360 when it comes to trends, so styles that were popular in the ‘90s/early 2000s will make a comeback with a twist.

What’s been your highlight of 2017?

Meeting Hideo Kojima in Tokyo at the studio and being given a tour of his new company. We grew up playing his video games so it was amazing.

What are your short-term and long-term goals for your brand, and personally?

I guess our goals in general are to just continue killing it at what we do, from the parties, pop-up exhibitions, magazines, etc. We just want to be in a position where we can constantly bring new ideas to life and grow them.