From golfing and fashion to his ambition to branch into acting – the social media sensation gives us a whistle-stop tour of his life right now.
From golfing and fashion to his ambition to branch into acting – the social media sensation gives us a whistle-stop tour of his life right now.
Photography: @blakegray
Words SANDY AZIZ
“Hectic, Fun, Blessed” is the title that social media sensation, Blake Gray says he would give this chapter of his life. And what a title. “Maybe I should write a book,” laughs Gray. In case you haven’t been following along, the determined 22-year-old left his native Texas to follow his dreams and has since gained five million Instagram followers through his relatable digital content and comedic video sketches.
Sitting down with Man About Town, Blake goes deep on everything from golf adventures to his fashion proclivities, as well as his latest pursuit – acting.
Hey Blake! I am a fellow Texan, so let’s start with your origins. Can you tell us about your home state and how this crazy journey started for you?
Well, I would like to think that I was pretty much the first social media person that came out of Houston. I started back when I was in ninth grade, and it was a little tricky. Actually, I got bullied for it a little bit. Then, I ended up dropping out of school to follow my dreams. During COVID-19, it all kind of took off – everybody just being at home on their phones, just scrolling through TikTok, that just kind of led me to move out to California. It has been a journey ever since. It is funny now because I'll go back home now and people that used to make fun of me are trying to hang out. (Laughs)
Congrats on your Ralph Lauren campaigns. What have they been like?
Growing up, I have always been in Ralph Lauren - head-to-toe! I had nine different pairs of the khaki shorts in literally every colour. When Ralph Lauren reached out to my team about doing a campaign with me, I was honestly kind of blown away because they are the one brand I wanted to work with the most. We've done a few different campaigns with the fragrances now, but hopefully, I will also start doing stuff with them on the clothing side as well.
Tell us your go-to outfit!
I feel my best when I am wearing a suit or a tux. Maybe it is because I am watching Suits right now and I am trying to be a little like Harvey Specter. No, but really, I do feel best in a suit.
We understand you (and your dad) love golf – how often do you play?
I try to play as much as I can, maybe two times a week. I do it really whenever I have free time because it's very peaceful to me. Funnily enough, I'm a very competitive person, and I also think I want to be able to beat all of my friends and my dad too.
You played in the R&A’s Open Invitational. What was that like?
That was honestly probably the most nerve-racking thing I've ever done in my life. I was on the first tee box and there were thousands of people watching. Oh my gosh. I'm not a professional golfer by any means and having that many people watch you is a lot. But, it was honestly really cool to be able to participate. And actually with golf, when I can, I love bringing my dad on these trips too. I actually brought him to St. Andrews where golf was born around a year and a half ago and we golfed. That was also so special!
What are you working on next?
I want to be an actor. I think it'd be cool to see myself on screen. So, I've been doing some classes and auditions. I haven't booked anything yet, but hopefully I will soon. But, yes, that has been my main focus at the moment. One of my favourite Marvel characters is Loki, and I think it would be cool to play a role like that where the character is so complex and the audience loves to hate them, but there is so much more to their story. I am open to all sorts of roles though, so just booking something soon will be great. Watch this space.