Uncovering the mystery of Le Messie

 
With tattoos emblazoned on his arms and clean-shaven head, 31-year-old Le Messie cuts an intimidating figure at first sight.
 
But the old saying proves true – never judge a book by its cover – as the creative director of homegrown label “FALSE” easily impressed this reporter with his earnestness, humility and drive in an hour-long interview at a café in Mandarin Gallery on Thursday evening.
 
The low-profile Singaporean has emerged as a surprise finalist in the entertainment category of the Yahoo! Singapore 9 campaign but Messie’s accomplishments through the years speaks volumes about his talent. 

Together with his wife Amanda Scully, he is the co-founder of successful street wear brand “FALSE”, an independent clothing line that has achieved cult status in the U.S. and Europe and counts celebrities such as basketballer Le Bron James and Joe Hahn of Linkin Park as fans.
 
He has also garnered a Grammy Nomination in the "Best Hip Hop Album" category for writing and producing on U.S. rapper-producer Lupe Fiasco’s RIAA Gold album “The Cool” in 2008. Adding to that, Messie is also a founding member of Lupe Fiasco’s post-punk band “Japanese Cartoon”.  They released their debut album, “In The Jaws Of The Lords Of Death” in 2010, with their sophomore album currently in the works.
 
Yet despite all his achievements, Messie stressed throughout the interview that he does not jump hoops for fame and would much rather stay at home and be a “60-year-old man” tending to his garden and taking care of his seven pets.
 
RAGS TO RICHES
 
When he was 13, Messie – who has a mix of Filipino-Spanish, German, Jewish, Irish and Singaporean-Indian blood – dropped out of school and led a life on the street with youth gangs.
 
But two years later, tired of his wayward ways, he decided to make better himself by researching tips on mixing music, deejaying and designing art on Google.
 
The self-made entrepreneur then went onto his first musical venture in 1998 with an electronic band called “Silicon Sounds”. It lasted until early 2000's before the band broke up.
 
Then, in 2004, he hit the jackpot when he founded his first creative project “LMAC” – which dealt with Japanese-influenced fashion, music and toy figurines. That was when he unknowingly gained a fan in the form of Lupe Fiasco, who contacted Messie personally to customise a hoodie for him.
 
That eventually evolved into a business collaboration between the pair who immediately hit it off as friends. Over the years, rapper Fiasco has made four personal trips just to visit Messie at his home.
 
“I was very honoured when he invited me to work with him. I had a lot of insecurities back then as I wasn’t really sure about how good I was,” he said. “Back then, I was making money designing brands, not making music. But he heard a few of my old tracks… and he asked for two tracks (to be produced for him) and he ended up choosing one.”
 
Looking back, he admitted that people in the past saw him as a “gone case”, as one who would “never amount to anything”. But he added, with a tinge of vindication, “anybody who is put in a hard-enough position can get themselves up.” 

 
‘I DON’T WANT TO BE A SELL-OUT’
 
Despite the initial success of LMAC, the brand soon started to go under and as a “desperate measure”, he founded “FALSE” with his then-fiancée with no capital at all, except for "a good idea and the know-how to execute it".
 
He added that his business is on a made-to-order basis. "Everything was designed from the ground up by myself and then made by hand by [my wife and I]," he said, adding that his target demographic is one who is "willing to make my art a part of their lifestyle with much more manageable means".
 
In no time, “FALSE” proved to be a runaway success with celebrities and underground artists, who coveted the brand’s exclusivity. “FALSE” is also the parent brand to “Death by Disco” and “Fallacy of Rome”, a joint venture between Messie and Lupe.  
 
Calling Lupe his “angel”, Messie shared that he has not done a single advertisement or any marketing for “FALSE”, and he instead credits the success of his brand to word-of-mouth and the rapper, who brought attention to it by mentioning the brand and Messie in his songs.  
 
But when asked of his plans to expand the line locally, Messie is adamant on keeping his “super independent” and “organic” brand very exclusive. In fact, he even declined revealing where people can find his label online and offline, preferring people to do their homework and discover it on their own (“FALSE” has an online store and is also stocked at two local boutiques).  
 
“We had many opportunities to expand. Many solid investors wanted to come on board but I wanted to build a brand that is completely different from any other brand out there,” he explained.
 
“Their (other brands) goal at the end of the day is capitalisation and making money and then eventually selling it off… I can understand where they’re coming from, but I wanted a brand that was staple. Maybe I don’t have much need for a Lamborghini.”
 
ON BEING A SINGAPORE 9 FINALIST
 
When Yahoo! Singapore spoke to Messie’s wife and friends, they all shared one view – that him finally being recognized in Singapore for his many talents is undisputedly deserved.
 
30-year-old Ziggy, who has been following Messie’s work for more than 12 years, said, “If there's anyone who deserves to be nominated, it's him. He's such a humble guy… and all he's trying to do is pursue his passion for music.”
 
“By him appearing in Singapore 9, he has opened up doors for people ... (and will) ignite more people to get out there and live their dreams,” he added.
 
Similarly, Jamie Au, or more widely known as APJ, the producer of “Married Men” on 91.3 FM, said that Le Messie’s nomination “is great and it’s about time that he’s being recognised.”
 
“He's very passionate and when I discuss his ideas with him, I can feel his ideas. His passion just grabs you,” Au said.
 
Meanwhile, Messie’s business partner and wife of three years, Amanda Scully, described her husband as “incredibly talented” and added that “only so much he has been able to do has been seen so far.”
              
On his Singapore 9 nomination, Scully said, “I think that it's a huge honour [and] a really great platform [for him]. It’s also an opportunity for kids to be inspired.”
 
However, staying true to his self-described “hermit” personality, Messie was refreshingly candid when he shared that he “wasn’t sure if he was going to go ahead” with being nominated for Singapore 9 – but he eventually relented because of his wife.
 
Ultimately though, he said, “My wife convinced me that if you could actually hear where I came from (his rough childhood)… and inspire somebody who could be in the same situation, why not?”
 
“Even if it reaches out and touches one kid, I’m happy.”
 
VOTE FOR LE MESSIE IN THE ENTERTAINMENT CATEGORY HERE.