Over the past decade, PLACES+FACES has emerged as a powerful, DIY-minded force within the realm of street fashion and culture.
Founded by Ciesay and Soulz in 2013, two then-aspiring creatives from London, the dynamic duo have embarked on a truly groundbreaking journey that has profoundly influenced the sphere of creative partnerships, photography and design as we know it today in Britain—and beyond. With a keen eye for capturing raw and intimate depictions of the contemporary rap scene—both at home and abroad—P+F has created its own, very unique style of storytelling.
What began as a humble endeavour to document London’s always-on underground music world has since skyrocketed to unwavering heights, and with a global, loyal fanbase across social media, the in-demand creative stable has infiltrated almost all aspects of ‘lifestyle’ to a point where it has become synonymous with capturing the essence of youth culture, transcending geographical boundaries and resonating with a diverse community.
In the last ten years, PLACES+FACES has also evolved from a globally-recognised photography blog into a full-fledged lifestyle brand. Teaming up with some of the biggest brands in the world, including XBox, G Shock and Gentle Monster, the imprint has seamlessly bridged the gap with their signature designs. Their pop-up events—along with exhibitions in Tokyo, Paris and NYC, often involving some of the most in-demand names—have also reached iconic status, bringing people together in celebration of creativity and self-expression.
Boasting a portfolio of stunning visuals, memorable campaigns (which have involved everyone from Central Cee and SLAWN to Unknown T and Mia Khalifa) and boundary-pushing projects, PLACES+FACES continues to push the envelope, all while setting new trends and inspiring a new generation of creatives. As they enter a new era, the brand’s influence shows no signs of waning: today, they remain at the forefront of innovation, constantly redefining what it means to be a cultural tastemaker.
Just before their pop-up in Paris, P+F co-founder Ciesay sat down with Complex UK to reflect on the significance of design and documentation in his life over the years, cultural influences, and the importance of remaining fresh and true to the brand’s core values a decade on.
“For Soulz and I, the brand has always been about us. It’s always been about our taste, the music we love, and what we enjoy.”
COMPLEX: It’s a real pleasure to be speaking with you today, Ciesay. With this interview, I really want to paint a picture of your journey, of P+F’s journey, from the very beginning. So, firstly, tell me: how did the transition between blogger and filmmaker to brand co-founder come about?
Ciesay: PLACES+FACES started in 2013. I was in a kitchen in New York, where I was spending my summer with some family. At that time, there were a lot of events with performances from the likes of A$AP Ferg—who had just released his Trap Lord album—Kendrick Lamar and A$AP Rocky. It just happened to be a good time to be in New York. While I was hitting up and sneaking into events, I reached out to my other co-founder, Soulz, and was like: “Yo! You should take pictures in London and take photos of the events there.” We did this for a while and ended up sharing them on Tumblr; it was the only notable platform that we knew had good engagement, as a lot of our favourite artists already had accounts and their images were being shared. We also had an Instagram account which became our main focus as time went on and, like others, we found our content was a lot more accessible there.
Has design and documentation always been a big part of your life?
I was always travelling as a kid: my parents would work abroad a lot, so when I was younger, I would visit all the different countries my mum was working in. There were a lot of countries in Africa, places like Libera, Uganda, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, that I’d travel to and explore; I always had an interest in experiencing different cultures. Ultimately, I think the bug to document things has always been there. I’ve also always been interested in clothing. Seeing my favourite artists like Kayne West and Pharrell and NIGO, and how they impacted street culture and fashion, was always super interesting to me. I wouldn’t necessarily say I wanted to become a designer but I always had a taste for style. When starting PLACES+FACES, we started off with a hoodie, which was only really intended to serve as a business card for us, and for our friends to wear. People slowly started to pick-up and like it, and we then made other products which allowed me to gain more of an interest in garment development. When it comes to our products, I wanted to make sure that if I was going to shoot people, they would want to be wearing our clothing. I also wanted to develop these styles and ‘fits to reflect my taste.
What were you looking to achieve with the P+F clothing? Was it the idea of wanting to create something that couldn’t be found anywhere else?
It was all about the idea of making stuff that I wanted to enjoy wearing. For example, I might like the fit of a particular hoodie but not the logo. I would then create my own version of that piece with either branding or no branding, depending on my taste. To be honest, it was just things I wanted to make for myself and my friends as well. As the process went on, I learnt more from the factories I worked and partnered with, and later began redeveloping and reworking things. As my appetite for fashion grew, my knowledge for all things grew, and my time spent on trying to make things reached a point where I really began enjoying it all.
Was there a specific lightbulb moment that made you think you needed to take this line of work seriously?
I’d say the true lightbulb moment, for me, was when I made 15 hoodies that I’d planned to sell. The idea was for my friends to wear them to a Boiler Room event and then return them post-party, for me to then sell on. I was a little weary, especially when I thought about the state of them after the event; I mean, the key word in Boiler Room is boiler. The hoodie I made had this reflective material, so there are loads of videos of us moshing around in these hoodies. After, I was like, “Obviously, I can’t take these back now.” So I figured out how to make more, people loved them and we started selling them and began building the brand from there.
What are three pieces that you think epitomises PLACES+FACES as a brand?
I think there are specific styles that people will also associate with PLACES+FACES. Our bags have always been super popular; we also have these bodysuits for women that have our logo on the collar. There’s also our reflective hoodie that we’ve released as part of our anniversary capsule collection.
How has your Gambian heritage played a role in your motivation to create P+F?
My Gambian heritage impacts how I think and how I am as a person; that then trickles down to anything I do. Gambians are very chilled people—there’s this sense of freedom and openness in all that they do. With me, you could say I apply that to any aspect of work that I, myself, do. I’m always referencing Gambia. I travel there every year to document the area because it isn’t very well known compared to other, more famous African countries. It’s known for its beautiful tourist destinations, and I’m really trying to highlight the different creativity there. I guess the Gambian in me is always just showing out in everything I do to show those back home that I am one of many people representing the country.
How has the brand managed to remain so “fresh” throughout its existence, and have the core values changed much?
For Soulz and I, the brand has always been about us. It’s always been about our taste, the music we love, and what we enjoy. First and foremost, we look at ourselves as photographers and documentarians; everything else that surrounds it are just branches of who we are as human beings. The reason why it is fresh is because it’s a reflection of who we are. We have similar music tastes, but also different music tastes, so sometimes I might document someone that Soulz may not be the biggest fan of. However, because it’s our taste, when we show off these images then people can see it’s a personal thing as opposed to shooting them because they’re trending right now. As we’ve gotten older, our style has also matured and we want our clothing to reflect that.
Who were some of your biggest inspirations coming up, and do they still influence you to this day?
Starting out, we were really inspired by the NIGOs and Pharrells of the world because of how they impacted all aspects of culture. We wanted to have a similar impact. We’re not just constrained to one medium: PLACES+FACES is a lifestyle, and it’s our lifestyle. It’s us travelling, meeting new people and documenting culture. Nowadays, we’re just inspired by what our friends do. A lot of the people killing it right now, like Clint from Corteiz and Gabrielle Moses, we met quite early on in their careers, so to watch them grow is really inspiring to see. We’re kind of just inspired by the community and watching our peers grow to become a respected figure in their notable fields. All of being able to come together and travel together is a huge thing. I feel like the industry wants to divide people and get them into certain situations, but nowadays I think everyone realises we can all win together and create together and there is enough to go around for everyone.
P+F started its journey as a blog—what are your thoughts on the blogging/content creating scene at this moment in time?
I think content creation has become such a DIY thing. People are going out there and just documenting. Before, people would wait to do stuff. It might only be a fashion event or a brand that they’re shooting for, but nowadays anything can be a recording device so people are able to do more things, make more special content. I think that accessibility has created a whole new movement of filmmakers and photographers because anything is now within their reach. You can buy cameras that are worth £1,000, but there’s also equipment that you can get for a lot cheaper, if not better. I think people are slowly starting to realise this and are using their skills to go out and just do it.
The vast majority of your designs hold a close affiliation with music. How is your relationship with music and what other influences have helped to build the brand?
Travelling has also had a huge influence on the brand; we’ve been blessed to travel to nearly every part of the world, except the Middle East. But that will happen soon. When we get to travel and visit these different places, like Japan and South Korea, we’re able to tap in and see what different outfits people are wearing. We collaborated with this brand called Thug Club, which is one of the biggest brands in South Korea, for our 10-year anniversary. I would say that travelling is one of our biggest influences because we get to meet and see the communities that inspire us.
How important was it to document the milestone with a pop-up, as opposed to just releasing the anniversary tees?
It was very important to us, because a 10-year anniversary for anything is such a huge milestone. For us, being able to say that we remained present in culture is a big thing. We didn’t really want to play it down with just one event—we wanted people to know that this year is our tenth year. Opening a 10-year pop-up in London was a big moment for us because we were able to work with some of our friends, as well as people that we’re fans of, who we may not have partnered with before. We also wanted people to know that we are a global brand, so we teamed up with the likes of Cortiez from London, Amsterdam’s Daily Paper, and loads more.
What accomplishments in the last decade years are you most proud of?
Every year, we always strive to do better than our previous year. Since the inception of PLACES+FACES, we have always tried to improve, develop and grow. In our first year, we were on Tumblr, and a year after that we started making clothing. In years three and four, we started doing events and then we began touring and showcasing our own music acts. Every year is always a milestone, something I want to do or achieve. Now it’s our tenth year, it’s like: what’s that next milestone?
If you could go back to the start of your journey, what advice would you give yourself that could have helped you understand things better, sooner?
I guess the power of saying no, and also just staying true to yourself and the vision. There are always going to be tough times, moments of self-doubt, and questions of who you’re doing it for, but you need to have that reassurance to believe that what you’re doing is for both you and the community. For me, it’s also a reflection of myself. I haven’t changed as a person—I’ve grown as I’ve worked on the brand. I might not be that super hungry kid who waits three hours backstage to shoot a person, because now I have relationships with these artists. But, these things made me who I am today, and I will never look down on anyone who is putting in the work. With the power of saying no, I think a lot of people get opportunities and offers and sometimes they might say yes because they’re afraid they won’t get that chance again. I think once you understand the power of saying no and get comfortable with saying it, the offers will get better. I’ve seen people say yes to things that they’ve later regretted, but once you understand the power of saying no, you become your own person—a master of sorts.
Has your message to your supporters changed compared to when P+F hit its 5th anniversary?
The message hasn’t changed, because it’s always been about us documenting. Our IG bio is Our Photos, Our Clothes, and that’s still our main thing. That is who we are; it’s our story that we are telling. But people can now see the journey from the beginning; they can see us as photographers getting better at what we do. I guess, in the last five years, it’s probably the same ethos where you get to watch us grow and see our styles change. The events we’ve been doing have increased in taste. We don’t do so much, but when we do, it’s always a moment rather than doing it for the sake of doing it. Everything we do, we want it to be a moment, whether it be an event, party or a pop-up.
What does the future hold for PLACES+FACES?
There are obviously things we want to do, and things we want to achieve. But for us, it’s all about taking everything step-by-step, having ideas in the back of our heads that we want to being to fruition, but at the same time filling in the time with things that we can do. We want to release a proper coffee table book; we were going to release it this year but decided to push it back a bit so we can add more to it. Focusing on 10 years in one day isn’t really reflective of our journey. We wanted to stretch everything out, and so, in the next month, we’ve got things coming up that are a reflection of the 10 years. We just did something with Havana Club, in fact... From now until basically this time next year, we’ll be doing something. It will be our 15-year anniversary and we’ll still be celebrating our 10-year anniversary [laughs].
