Top UK Barbers Turns Retail Space
Ruffians’ London flagship is also a pop-up sunglasses shop for the month of August. It’s part of a strategy to reposition the award-winning barbers as a lifestyle brand with a greater number of collaborations. The project, run in partnership with British glasses manufacturer Finlay & Co, is being held at the Covent Garden store until September. On sale alongside the full Finlay & Co collection, which includes the original Ledbury (wayfarer) and Bosworth (keyhole) designs, is the brand’s new SS14 style, The Beaumont (clubmaster). It follows the launch of a rotating gallery space at the central London location, kicked off with images from street style photographer Jonathan Daniel Pryce, in May. During the run, Ruffians will also host an event for the start of the Decembeard charity campaign. Adam Brady, who manages publicity and events for the barbers, told FashionBeans: “We’ve always wanted to do various partnerships and collaborations, which started when we were in Edinburgh teaming up with whisky brands.” “However, the launch of our flagship store in Covent Garden has given us such a brilliant platform to access more brands through the London network,” he added. Brady confirmed plans to host between six to eight events based around barbering and men’s grooming each year. “That is our expertise and passion. However, we meet so many interesting brands and individuals that share our love for creativity and to have fun, and it’s with these guys that we’ll be doing collaborations.” Ruffians opened its first store in Edinburgh in 2012 under owner Andrew Cannon before expanding into London twelve months later and winning several UK awards. Finlay & Co specialises in handcrafted wooden sunglasses and is stocked by the likes of Harvey Nichols, Wolf & Badger and Topman’s General Store. The Ruffians x Finlay & Co pop-up sunglasses shop will run until the 8th September. Prices for glasses start from around £105.
Ruffians x Finlay & Co
