Ren joins scotts Under The Spotlight campaign

Menswear specialists scotts have been celebrating the cream of British music in recent weeks with their Under The Spotlight video series. Exploring the indelible links between street fashion and music culture, the series has so far focused on Jamie Webster and Sam Tompkins. Today it’s Ren’s turn in the spotlight.

The musician from Brighton returns to his hometown venue the Concorde 2, where he’s joined in conversation by his friend and collaborator Sam Tompkins. The interview explores Ren’s fascinating back story. Signed to a major label as a teenager, Ren’s initial rise was halted by a mystery chronic health condition that left him bedbound. Isolated at home, he’d write songs which reflected his situation and would gravitate towards stories of people who had overcome similar experiences.

Eventually he was diagnosed with Lyme disease and began to mount a recovery. As he started to rebuild his life, he would often busk with Sam Tompkins and their performances – usually announced only on Instagram- would cause chaos, attracting local crowds of up to a thousand people. As their IRL audiences suddenly became viral, the duo shared a breakthrough moment when their song ‘Blind Eyed’ received millions of views. More recently, the lockdown era has necessitated a shift in his creativity.

“It’s so weird how something as big as this gets normalised,” he says. “It’s made me realise how much we take for granted just being able to see somebody.”

Throughout the interview, Ren is sporting iconic designs from Ellesse’s spring / summer 2021 collection. The Italian sportswear brand is renowned for creating clothing that delivers style and comfort in equal measure, mixing contemporary urban looks with retro flair. Ever since scotts was first launched back in 1984, Ellesse has consistently been one of their biggest selling brands.

Stay tuned for more Under The Spotlight episodes in the near future.