Loves of My Life: Ricky Wesley Harriott

The best interviews are often the most personal. In Loves of My Life, we get to know the person behind their craft, asking them the important questions we're desperate to know—the restaurants and date-night spots, what's in their Saved folder on Instagram, the piece of jewellery they're most attached to and what's lurking at the bottom of their handbag. In short, these are the true loves of their life. First up, Ricky Wesley Harriott, creative director of London-based womenswear brand SRVC.

What’s your #1 restaurant to visit in the world and what do you order?

"There is a Korean restaurant in East London called Babsang, and it is literally the best food on earth! Their seafood pancake and yangyom chicken are mind-blowing. There are not enough positive things I can say about the food there. Everyone needs to go, but not so much so that I can’t get a table anymore!"

Is there anything in your wardrobe that you’re particularly sentimental about?

"I dreamt of going to Tokyo my whole life, and when I finally went I bought a crazy top from an incredible store in Harajuku called DOG. I don’t really wear it often, but it’s such a special piece that represents a really important trip, so that piece really holds a lot of love. I hold on to clothes for years and years so I have a lot of pieces that mean something or represent a particular time."

Which item of clothing would you never ever part with, and why?

"When I left Vetements, two of my colleagues gifted me a pair of sweatpants that they both owned from an army surplus store in Zurich. [They are] perhaps the best-cut pair of sweatpants I have ever worn—the shape is spectacular. They also signed their names on the ass, and I love them so much that I could never, ever part with them!"

What would we always find lurking in the bottom of your bag?

"A pencil and chewing gum! I sketch a lot when I am travelling so I always have something to draw with, and I always have several packs of gum just in case."

If you could only holiday in one place for the rest of your life, where would it be?

"I have so much love for so many places that I don’t think I could limit myself to just one, but I think the defining factor if I was ever forced to choose would be somewhere my family and friends wanted to be too. The best I could do is maybe a top three: Tokyo, New York, or Aegina in Greece. They are my favourite places to be, so maybe one of them, family and friends included!"

What do you love to do in your spare time?

"I love doing very little—I'm super boring! I really enjoy my PlayStation (I'm deep into Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth at the moment), but I love to exercise, catch up with my friends and go for drinks. My job is quite intense so I like to do things that bring me back to reality, that’s vital for me."

Do you have a secret date-night spot?

"I think a good date night is all in the company! However, nothing beats a sunny evening in the park with snacks and drinks, the more chill, the better."

What’s your most-played on Spotify?

"My most-played track is "SAOKO" by Rosalia, followed by most of her Motomami album. That record had me in a solid chokehold for, like, a year and a half—the studio has had to listen to it a lot!"

What's your favourite TikTok account to follow and why?

"I don’t really have a favourite account, but the hilarious algorithm of stuff makes me laugh. Someone has made a song out of Sharon's lines from Eastenders and it has me in hysterics at the moment!"

What about on Instagram?

"There are many. I am obsessed with nevertrustachurchgirl—the satire is fantastic [and the creator has] great taste! I also love flyandfamousblackgirls. That page is incredible."

If we were to look in your Saved folder, what would we find?

"My Saved folder is a mess. It is a mix of style, design, people I find really interesting, things I want for myself and comedy. I use social media mostly to laugh or post my work, so it’s a jumble of things that intercepts that, really."

What's your favourite city for inspiration?

"London! It’s home, I understand it and it’s both familiar and consistently surprising. I have always found London to be a city constantly changing and renewing itself—there's a constant flow of newness. My favourite part of my day is my commute to work [because] I love just taking people in and making up stories about who there are, where they’re going, what they do."

What about your favourite city for fun?

"I love going out and having fun in New York, I love how the city makes me feel."

What do you always pack when you go on holiday?

"Sweatpants—I have all these grand ideas about dressing up and making an effort, but in reality, I spend my life in shorts and sweats. I enjoy taking lots of different shoes—a good shoe will do all the work—so I put the most effort in there."

You’re making a playlist of your life. Which three artists will feature most?

"Britney Spears, Janet Jackson and Solange Knowles. Three super-different artists but they have all done a lot for me with their art. Those discographies have seen me through the best and worst times and educated me along the way! I love those women."

What one beauty product or self-care item can’t you live without?

"Cocoa butter! It’s literally a ritual. I was raised with the insane importance of moisturising my skin, so I just would never not."

What are your three favourite movies of all time?

"Sakuran, Sister Act 2 and Drop Dead Gorgeous."

Share a piece of advice from someone you love that always stuck.

"People being nice to you isn’t a quality, it’s a requirement. I live by that."

What’s your favourite scent?

"Comme Des Garçons Number 2. That scent always gets me together!"

Do you collect anything?

"I collect a lot of photography and image books, and they're also my favourite things to gift people. I love being surrounded by images that make me feel something and sharing them with people."

What’s your latest obsession?

"X-Men 97! It’s a reboot of the '90s X-Men cartoon and has exceeded my expectations in a crazy way! It is so good."

Coffee, tea, wine, cocktail—what’s your ultimate poison?

"I think all of the above at different times! Lord knows I love a glass of wine, but I think I would be lost if I didn’t have a cup of coffee. I am a better person after coffee."

Tell us one thing you love to do that’s bad for you.

"Eating fried chicken. I try to convince myself it’s not the worst, but I know it is not okay!"

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?

"Doomscrolling."

Who is your professional hero?

"I think as my goals and progression evolve, so do the people I look to. Of course, [there are] creatives I have loved aesthetically as I've grown through my career, but at this moment, I would say Martine Rose. She has forged her brand on her own terms, telling her story with so much authenticity, and she's also one of the few designers I can really identify with culturally, so I respect and appreciate what she has built with time, honesty and persistence."

Who is your personal hero?

"The women who raised me. I had the privilege of being raised by two women: my mum and my step-mum, who is simply my other mum. I hate that "step" stuff. I have seen those women overcome things that I—to this day—can't comprehend, so I owe them a great deal. They taught me so much and continue to."

Who are the love(s) of your life?

"Simply the people in my life. I have love in my life of all different kinds, but all are deep and abundant. I learnt to really fine-tune inviting in love that nurtures me and which I nurture back in turn, and I feel very grateful for my small but mighty tribe of chosen family."

What is the love of your life?

"My career. I'm not sure how healthy that is, but it’s my first love, my first heartbreak and my biggest education. It’s the one constant in my life I have continuously given my all to and never given up on, for better or worse."

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