Ryan & Luella

Reading time: 4 min

In 2010 Luella, aged 7 wanted to be an artist and her favourite colour was gold. Looking back Luella feels she’s changed a lot… Luella’s mother, fashion designer Ryan Roche www.ryan-roche.com says ‘she is one of my absolute favourite people to be around’.

Original words Luella aged 7, 2010

What you want to do when you grow up? An artist.

Favorite famous person (real or fiction)? Willy Wonka.

Favorite book? Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Favorite film? Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland.

Favorite place for holidays? Idaho (US) to visit family.

A city that you would dream to visit? Paris.

Who chooses your clothes in the morning? Me.

Favorite color? Gold.

Favorite brand? Mor mor rita and H&M.

The piece your like the most from your wardrobe? My gold sparkle stockings.

The next item you would like to get? A short sleeve gold knit shrug sweater.

Parent & Child interview revisited… Luella aged 15, 2018

What do you feel when you read what you wrote 8 years ago? Almost every answer to those questions has changed, I have changed alottttt.

Do you still live in the same town? Unfortunately, yes. Upstate NY is nice but I want to move to LA really bad. I’m pretty sick of the small town vibe and I love California.

Do you have new ideas about the type of profession you want to embrace, or the things you want to do as an adult? I have so many ideas of things i would want to be its hard to choose. I’m really creative and I’m a musician so definitely something in the arts. I have always wanted to be a singer, but I have also considered being a photographer, fashion designer, actor, stylist, or human rights lawyer because I’m really into politics and human rights.

What are the books, films, events that made an impression on you lately? I’m not much of a reader, I have a really busy mind so I find that when i try reading my brain often drifts to my thoughts while I’m skimming over the words in a book. the next thing i know i’ve read 5 pages but didn’t actually read any of it because my head was somewhere else lol. I like writing my own stories more than reading books. as for movies I just like older ones that bring me back to when i was younger, so I would still say Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is still one of my favs because I watched it a lot when I was little.

What is the most beautiful lesson you’ve learned from your experiences so far?  “Everything happens for a reason”. This saying helps me a lot because if things don’t go the way I had hoped, whatever it may be big, or small, I can just remember this saying and it relieves me of stress or sadness or insecurities a lot.

What skills do you have that are special? My special talent is music. I sing and play piano and do covers and write my own songs and stuff. My new year’s goal is to come out with my first albums so hopefully i can make that happen!

What do you think would make a change in the world? I think if people with huge platforms, for example Kylie Jenner would promote things that actually mattered such as world hunger, poverty, climate change, or research for terminal illnesses. People like her have the biggest platforms and followings in the world so they can spread awareness for issues on the largest scale possible. Instead of doing this though, most social media influencers only spread an unrealistic image of physical and materialistic perfection that is almost impossible to reach, creating an unfair standard for teens like me around the world. I just don’t understand why if you have such a large platform like Kylie’s, that you wouldn’t promote things that actually matter and could help people around the world.

 

Ryan

What are the main changes that happened in your life/profession in the last 8 years? We launched a women’s fashion brand, Ryan Roche.

What is the most precious message that you have you drawn from educating your child? The most precious message that I have drawn is to lead with an open heart, to embrace the challenges and lean into the beauty of all the shades of grey – nothing is black and white.

Has your child evolved the way you thought she would? Luella is evolving into such a beautiful young woman, she is kind and loving, strong and confident, compassionate and vibrant. She will turn 16 in February and she one of my absolute favorite people to be around. She is honest and open, we speak about everything with no judgement, this is something I learned from my own Mother. I am also grateful that Luella is so close with her Papa and her younger brothers, we are a very very close knit family.

What is your recipe for happiness? Life balance, my marriage and love for my husband and making time for that space for him and I alone together, the children, my career, good quality food, poodles, laughter, fresh air and nature, less is more, we keep it minimal and essential, we don’t flood our lives with stuff. We like to live in a minimalist way in order to have space both mentally and physically to move through life and breathe.

Your formula to keep the family healthy? My husband Garrett and I have been married for 16 years, we now work together and spend every day together, we have always made family our first priority. The kids have always been deeply woven into each and every day day and we love it. We are a tribe and we all know that no matter what happens in life we have each other. This is the ultimate comfort in life.

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Original Parent & Child interview Ryan & Luella