Introducing Best Practice: an interview series curated and as told by Joanne Taylor (@jodances ), exploring the optimistic future of women’s sport through the voices shaping it.
First up: Ramla Ali (@ramlaali ). From fleeing civil war in Somalia to becoming the first Somali boxer at the Olympics and a global force in sport and culture, her story is one of resilience, ambition and breaking barriers.
Outside of the ring, she’s worked with Burberry, Dior, Off-White, McQueen and Versace, and has a Hollywood biopic coming out in September.
Hit the link in bio to meet Ramla as she takes the Best Practice hot seat 🥊
Thomas Gronnemark (@thomas.throwin ) has got the credentials to back it up, too: he’s worked with the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool FC, among others, on perfecting the mighty throw-in – a move that can make all the difference.
“It’s a gamechanger, something that helps a team win,” writes @lauren_cochrane_ in her interview with Gronnemark.
Swipe for more and hit the link in bio for throw-in secrets from the best of the best.
When Neil Macdonald (@scienceversuslife ) started work on his book Elsewhere, it was crucial for him to capture “the peripheral things that go on alongside,” he says. That is: the style, stories, friendships and hard graft it took to make it as a skater pre-internet, especially in a UK climate that was much less forgiving than its Californian forebears.
The first book to trace this era of UK skateboarding, Elsewhere traces the DIY beginnings of what has since been welcomed by the mainstream. “From keeping in touch with your friends to finding places when you’re travelling, meeting new people, or creating something, it was knocking on doors, trial and error and blind faith.”
Ahead of Elsewhere’s publication on 28th May – with a special launch event at the @ariesarise flagship store in Soho next Thursday – Neil gave us a sneak preview of what we can expect, plus some exclusive photographs from the book, which is published by @batsfordbooks .
Swipe for more and hit the link in bio for the full interview.
@adidas has released Backyard Legends, a new short film ahead of this summer’s World Cup, featuring Lionel Messi, Jude Bellingham, Lamine Yamal, Bad Bunny, Trinity Rodman and Timothée Chalamet. The film follows Chalamet as he assembles a team to take on an undefeated local crew, a nod to the fact that every player – no matter how big – started out practising somewhere nobody was watching.
Over the course of his career, @joehartphoto has documented muay thai fighters, Irish dancers, extreme skiers, rock throwers, and now – yes – the little-known world of competitive lawnmower racers.
His visual style utilises high-flash, producing sugary-sweet saturated colours that exaggerate movements and facial expressions, almost to comic book effect. “The [lawnmower] drivers are based all over the UK and meet up fortnightly-ish over the summer months,” Hart says, hoping to convey a sense of “warmth and genuine fascination” through his images.
“At its heart, I see [my work] as documentary photography, just an elevated version of it. Ideally, a viewer looks at the work and recognises the real sense of dignity underneath the strangeness.”
Swipe for more and hit the link in bio for the full story.
Fitriya Mohamed (@fitriya.hoops ) has been on a mission to transform basketball for Muslim women.
In 2020, she launched the popular non-profit Muslim Women’s Summer Basketball League and ever since, she’s been flying high by opening gyms and setting up tournaments, while building a vibrant space for women and allies to show up, ball out and have fun.
Swipe to read more about her story, and hit the link in bio to read the full piece by @haleysengsavanh .
art director:@stecyhelena
photographer: @julieriemersma
photo assistant:@sabsisco
stylist:@byeacinth
makeup artist: @mazemakeupbeats
In between a fleeting moment at the London Marathon yesterday, photographer @matt.pearsonn found some time to capture the mental battles during the 42km stretch.
“I had an hour spare between a commercial client shoot in the morning and having to leave the city in the afternoon, so I pitched up at the start of an incline at mile 22 and did my best to tell the story of those different mental battles through the photos I was taking.”
While we often see the pro athletes in prime position, or the glory of crossing over the finish line, these photos celebrate the pain and passion that goes into the marathon - the tears, exhaustion, mental block and screams.
“It’s always interesting to me how every person that passes is going through a very different mental internal battle with themselves, and how this then shows on their facial expressions,” Matt says.
“The goal for me was to capture that, the really hard and unsexy side of running.”
Sending love and luck to the runners in the London marathon this weekend 🏃♂️🏃♀️🏃♂️🏃♀️
1. Norwegian runner Grete Waitz passes the Tower of London, watched by two Beefeater Guards, during the London Marathon on 20 April 1986.
2. Sussex police chasing through the mist, London Marathon ’97
3. Dionicio Ceron celebrates winning the men’s race, 1996
4. Marathon Rest, 2000
5. Competitor in the London Marathon puts water over his head, 1996
6. Ingrid Kristiansen sets a new world record of 2:21:06 at the 1985 London Marathon
![Over the course of his career, @joehartphoto has documented muay thai fighters, Irish dancers, extreme skiers, rock throwers, and now – yes – the little-known world of competitive lawnmower racers.His visual style utilises high-flash, producing sugary-sweet saturated colours that exaggerate movements and facial expressions, almost to comic book effect. “The [lawnmower] drivers are based all over the UK and meet up fortnightly-ish over the summer months,” Hart says, hoping to convey a sense of “warmth and genuine fascination” through his images.“At its heart, I see [my work] as documentary photography, just an elevated version of it. Ideally, a viewer looks at the work and recognises the real sense of dignity underneath the strangeness.”Swipe for more and hit the link in bio for the full story.](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6739181849253868165410_0_b5a7a569a2542d19fc4375e9071ac5a3.jpg?o=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&h=f8d69545df3e108cdbcff708d7623a6d)
