525,600 Minutes. (Minus 393 minutes)

That’s how long these photos span. From the first image on 8 August 2023 to the last image on 8 August 2024. I’d like to say this is me taking my time…but it’s mostly a coincidence, and it’s also partially because LEWIS IS A FLAKE.

Or let’s say: Lewis puts the “Lew” in “Elusive”.

Lew is going to comment on the Instagram post saying, “That’s on me!!” Watch.

Time flies, and 2024 is most of the way over now. I had tried to get to London a few times to photograph some people for Context, but I just couldn’t justify the cost. London is expensive, and Context doesn’t pay the bills. I had to wait until work took me and Lew to the same city, or until Lew’s work brought him to my city, Copenhagen.

Standing outside of an event on Møntergade in early August 2023, I ask Lew if I can take his photo for a new project I’m working on. He agrees. In January of 2024 Lew and I roamed around Florence together. I photographed him after one of the infamously horrific runs I help throw together every morning, effectively titled “Pitti Pain Patrol”, (because we all love an alliteration.) I brought my camera. Feb of 2024 we are back in Copenhagen for CPHFW, and I try (mostly fail) to link with Lewis. I get a few photos before a show in Copenhagen’s Nordvest neighborhood.

In August of this year, I get Lew to go dip (swim) with me at one of my favorite local dipatoriums in Nordhavn. While “dipatoriums” is not the official title for this type of infrastructure, I invented it, so it stays in the story. The sun is shining. The water is warm. A few of our friends join us. We swim and do pushups in a circle. Very bro, I know.

I met Lew on a grey day in Ol’ Blighty. (That’s England, for the non-British/non-pretentious.) I was photographing for Browns who was launching a collection with Rapha, if I recall correctly. A big group of dudes turned up for the event, which was in the format of a group ride out through Essex. I rode and photographed as we went.

At the time Lew was a buyer for Browns was not familiar to me. Browns had been a big client of mine for a good while, and I knew most of their buyers from the fashion week circuit but had not met Lew until we were trying to fix his punctured tire.

I recall us getting along well as we stood on the wrong side of the road (by my standards) fumbling with the new innertube and pump. His boss, Dean, and I took the piss out of him as he tried to sort the issue. Lewis blushed under pressure. Cute.

“Sports bringing people together.” JK, I’m not going to put you through that cliché bullshit, even if it’s true in this case. In January of 2024, Lewis and I became friends, where before we were mostly acquaintances.

While sports may be the reason I met Lewis, we connected because we connected. We sat at the Irish Pub in Piazza Santa Maria Novella and talked about relationships. We checked out rooms at Numero Venti and discussed doing a trip together back to Florence when it wasn’t Pitti Uomo. In Copenhagen I finally get Lew to visit my apartment. He assures me he will be back in October of this year to hang and ride. I’ll keep you posted on that one.

Lew is riding across Britain right now. He told me he was nervous about it. I said he should be excited, and that it’s an experience that I would love to have myself.

Never mind, he’s just messaged me:

“I’ve beaten it. I climbed the wall. I cut through the black hole and faced my fear.”

“65 hours. 57,000 feet. 974 miles”

Good job, man. Quite the accomplishment.

I like these stories to end in a certain way, but I’m having a hard time closing the loop. So as I’ve started with Rent lyrics, I’ll end with Rent lyrics:

“It’s time now to sing out, though the story never ends.
Let’s celebrate, remember a year in the life of friends.”

Thanks, Lew.