Don’t judge a boy by his face.
Click images to enlarge.
Mr Royle’s not your typical Jack the lad. He writes poetry, loves Mean Girls and is a pretty sweet guy. The first things most people notice about Jack Royle are the owl at his throat, the tears on his cheek and the cross by his left eye, not to mention one full sleeve and the other still a work in progress. Some might think he’s well on his way to becoming the next Rico the Zombie, but there’s a meaning behind every tattoo Jack’s got and there have obviously been more than a few poignant moments in his 23 years. Slightly shorter but slicker than your average model, Jack can sweet-talk his way out of anything, charm his way to the top and brings a change from the crowds of pretty boys the fashion pack has got used to. i-D filled in some of Jack’s non-inked gaps in a magical forest powder paint shoot styled by i-D Fashion Director Charlotte Stockdale in The Just Kids Issue but we didn’t get our fill. i-D online get a bit more Liverpudlian lad chat and eye up the new tattoo developments; ‘love’ crossed out replaced with ‘hate’, an extra tear on his cheek and a cross on his chest, in a David Sessions photoshoot.
When did you get your first tattoo? 14. I did a cross on my wedding finger in biology class.
What are your future tattoo plans? erm I guess filling in the gaps. Each tattoo has a meaning so I have to wait for a poignant moment in my life.
What does your mum think about them? She doesn’t mind too much. She isn’t too happy with the facial ones. But what parent would be?
Do you have any phobias? Fear of being alone, of losing my closest friends. Nadine Artois for example has been there for me through so much. I guess I’m at an age where you begin to appreciate the people close to you. She’s an amazingly talented stylist and a fierce, fierce friend.
What were you like at school? I was really sporty, I captained my rugby team. But I was a bit of a clown, too smart but easily distracted. The teachers hated me.
Are you in love? No, I’m not. I have people I care for dearly but I haven’t yet learnt the trick of putting someone’s need before my own. I’d like to.
What would you be doing if you weren’t modelling? Well I am really passionate about acting so I’d like to say that. But I don’t think I’d have been given the opportunities I have. The fashion and film industries cross over at many points so I’m lucky in that way. Modelling gave me direction and more of an urge to better myself as a person and an artist.
What was the last song you listened to on your iPod? ‘I wanna be your dog’ by Iggy and the Stooges.
Where are your favourite places to hang out in London? I love staying in with a loved one and watching films. But if I’m out, I like to hang out at my friend Drew’s bike garage. He runs a clothing company called The Black Skulls. Nice biker gear.
Please may we read a poem of yours? Of course, the thing with my poems is they are written in the heat of whatever emotion I’m feeling. It goes from heart to head to paper. This one is about death. One thing I find fascinating:
One thing I fear above all else, is not to be poor or forgotten or alone by myself.
I fear the cold dark end, I fear the unknown. I fear the fact that I am just flesh and bone.
My time will come, I just don’t know when or how.
Because death is a master eventually to whom we all must bow.
You cannot outrun it it cannot be bought, it feels no sympathy can’t be bartered with or fought.
So when my time comes I’ll accept my fate, until then I live my life because death won’t wait.
From the hard but right path I hope not to stray.
Because this is a debt all man must pay.
Text: Felicity Kinsella
Photography: David Sessions
Stylist: Nadine Artois
Bottom photograph: Solve Sundsbo, styling by Charlotte Stockdale for The Just Kids Issue
