If you’re ever in the grand old city of Edinburgh, down Queen St. you will stumble across The Brotique, a men’s store founded by Richard Murphy and his team from Tiger Forest. Cherry picking the best of men’s grooming products, accessories, books and a wealth of other gifts, Richy has conjured up a sensational, yet like the best kind of gentleman, understated collection of quality. In my opinion, Richy has succeeded in merging solid contemporary masculinity with a good slice of retro, creating something truly out of the ordinary.
Above – Richard Murphy Below – The Brotique
With an exceptional range of carefully selected products by Ballanby, Captain Fawcett, Apothecary87 and others, from beard oils and hair pomade to sunglasses and grooming sets, The Brotique is an oasis of gentlemanly refinement. In a recent interview Richy related the story behind the Brotique’s creation – “We looked around Edinburgh and other cities while we were on our travels and really began to feel that there were no specialist stores for men’s gifts and accessories, places that offer that little bit of quality and something different to the shop just down the street.”
“In Edinburgh for example the town center is very busy and many of the stores offer the same bland items and we know from speaking to people that they are always looking for something different. Our aim is to offer people a chance to find that unique gift in comfortable surroundings away from the hustle and bustle, while our staff are always on hand to help.”
The Brotique
Since its launch, The Brotique has become a tour de force, carving out a fine niche for itself. It’s now Edinburgh’s go to place for men looking for something that little bit different.
Something Manly Exhibition
More than just a mere store, The Brotique quickly emerged as a place to host some intriguing cultural events. The most recent being ‘Something Manly Exhibition’ which took place between April and May, showcasing the work of Scottish photographer Stewart Bryden. Speaking to Richy he said “The concept of this exhibition was to challenge everyone’s perspective of what being manly is. I think stereotypically people assume to be manly you need to look and act a certain way as well as adopt some sort of macho language when in truth it’s neither of those things. Stewart captured guys of different backgrounds, styles, ages and sexual orientations and did so in a really simple way.”
On this collaboration he said “We’re really lucky enough to know so many talented creatives in Scotland and I’ve known Stew for many years so after working with him on one of our own store photoshoots we put it out there to offer up our space if he ever wanted to use it for his own future projects. We use our store a backdrop for many events, some of our own and some we host for other people so it was a natural fit, especially being a place geared toward men anyway.”
When it comes to photographing men, Stewart’s style emanates a certain strength and pride, Richy says “I’ve personally always been a fan of Stews work, i like how timeless his shots generally are. He’s worked really hard to get to where he is today and I’ve no doubt that he’ll continue to make waves and we’ll be seeing his work in many years to come.”
The exhibition caused quite a stir in Edinburgh, despite Stewart being a relatively new photographer on the scene, people instinctively knew that here is a photographer to take notice of. Richy ended with saying “I hope they remember that time they seen Stew’s first ever exhibition in our wee Edinburgh store in 20 years time when they’re at another exhibition at some location across the world.”
Photos courtesy of Tiger Forest Ltd, Peter McNally and Stewart Bryden