Leon Cerrone
You know how we feel about Scotland – and it seems Leon Cerrone shares the same sentiment. Ardent cyclist, seasoned runner, well-respected menswear aficionado and all round super-brilliant bloke, friend of Aubin Mr. Cerrone decamped from London in 2021 and settled in Glasgow with his wife and their dog Daisy.
We took the liberty of joining Leon for a stroll in his hometown on a chilly, but otherwise glorious day in the 5th most visited city in the UK. A walk-and-talk with Daisy seemed the ideal way to shoot the breeze, so with poo-bags in hand we headed outside to talk about Leon’s new(ish) life north of the English border.
A Brummie by birth, Leon won’t mind us sharing that he’s spent donkey’s years working in menswear fashion. What he doesn’t know about selvedges or seams isn't worth knowing. Tailoring, sports tech, vintage gems – this man is an oracle when it comes to what’s what. No surprises then, that he knows how to chuck an outfit together.
When we prodded about the backstory of his effortless sartorial prowess, he said, “Clothes have been a huge part of my life from an early age and inspiration comes from everywhere – family, music, movies and friends. If I’m listening to Crosby, Stills & Nash all week you’ll find me dressed like a roadie. But at the same time I’m a big jazz fan, so on those weeks I’m definitely working more of an Ivy-League look, especially when the summer hits. Hip Hop is something I’ll always add touches of, but I’m 42 now – so there’s no baggy jeans hanging off my backside anymore!”
Cyclists here might recognise Leon from Rapha campaigns. He’s bashful about being the body beautiful, but shared that, “It was just a right time, right place thing. I was working for Folk, spending a lot of time out on my bike, modelling the odd shirt here and there for the website and then Rapha approached me with an offer to be their lookbook man. It was a brand that everyone was watching – and a gig that opened so many doors for me.”
More brands came-a-knockin and since then, he’s been on a steady upward trajectory. His success in the menswear arena shifted gears in 2020, when he opened up about his struggle with depression in a film for Mr. Porter’s ‘Health in Mind series’. With thousands of views, the reality of Leon’s life was shared for all to see. Fashion industry types and the public saw a side to him they’d never expected – or knew about. From the outside, this man was thriving. Inside, it was a different story. A candidly raw and honest account, it chimed with people who had previously felt scared to open up. The rest is history. Leon reflected, “It wasn’t easy to tell my story, but seeing how many people who’ve said it’s helped them has been amazing. That real-time, real-life impact means it’s probably the piece of work I’m most proud of.”
Since the shift up to Glasgow, he’s upped the ante on the sporting side of things. In 2022 he was asked to help launch a community running club. Outlier Run Club now has 280 members and organises a 7:30am Saturday morning run (for the hardcore!), three mid-week runs and a weekly track session. Laughing about the launch he said, “We started with 11 people on a rainy September morning and now we regularly have 90 people rocking up for the early morning Saturday sessions, covering all parts of the city. I’m surprised I don’t have more grey hairs than I do, to be honest! But in all seriousness, it’s incredible to see how it’s grown and what people get out of being part of it – people achieving things they never thought possible about themselves. It’s a proper community. We’ve raised over £20,000 for local charities in the last 12 months. ”
Music is the thread that binds everything together for Leon. The mighty vinyl collection gets an airing on his monthly show for Glasgow’s Radio Buena Vida, where a self-imposed analogue-only regime means he gets to play anything and everything that tickles his fancy. Explaining how DJ-ing runs deep in the Cerrone genetics he said, “My dad was a DJ and music was a massive part of my childhood – I grew up in a house where records were always being played by both parents. The radio show is an outlet for me to play at the stuff that references my clothing influences; hip hop to reggae, rockabilly to disco. No digital either!”
Seems like the decision to move was a good one and we nudge to see how he feels about leaving the capital. “I spent the most formative years of my life in London and met my wife Jess there, which means it’ll always have a huge place in my heart. Of course, I have moments where I miss it, but now we’re lucky enough to have a solid network of friends and a place to call our own, it’s really starting to feel like home. It’s great to finally be able to decorate somewhere exactly how we want it (which reminds me, I still need to paint the skirting boards…) invite people over, cook some food and listen to records. And besides, as good as life is now, we couldn’t afford to buy a bloody dustbin in Dagenham these days, so it looks like we’re in Glasgow to stay!”
