If Britain is a nation of shopkeepers, Matthew Murphy and Kirk Beattie of b store have been one of our favourite purveyors of contemporary design for a decade now.
If Britain is a nation of shopkeepers, Matthew Murphy and Kirk Beattie of b store have been one of our favourite purveyors of contemporary design for a decade now. Formed by footwear manufacturer Jose Neves as a flagship store for his premium shoe brand, Buddhahood in 2001; Neves took over a space on Conduit Street, bringing onboard Murphy and Beattie as buyers. It quickly grew to become one of the most influential retail spaces in London, nurturing nascent stars such as Roksanda Ilincic, Richard Nicoll, Stephan Schneider and Peter Jensen, not to mention stocking the very best of the graduate collections. More than just a place to buy beautiful clothes, there was also a sense of a creative community rallying around it, with art installations from the likes of Yamataka Eye, Shona Heath and Tim Gutt. Says Murphy, “Right from the beginning it wasn’t just about fashion but art as well. But we had to draw a line when some of the installations started blocking off entire sections of the store!”
While this merging of art and cutting edge fashion could suggest a chilly shopping experience, nothing could be further from the truth at b. Says Murphy, “We had this vision that we wanted our shop to be affordable. Personally there were stores we loved like Pineal Eye where the actual shopping experience can be quite awkward and scare people away. We were never there to challenge but to inspire and make people want to be part of it. We want the kids who don’t have much money to be able to come in and buy something.” This deep connection to their customer has helped the shop weather the economic downturn. “We’re fortunate that we haven’t seen the hard times but then we have such a strong and loyal customer base. We know our customers so well that when something comes in we can call and get an immediate reaction. That’s why it’s difficult for us to expand b store because it is very personal.”
After winning 2006 Shop of the Year, b store relocated to the toniest address – Savile Row. “It was a key turning point for us,” recalls Murphy, “We had a whole history behind the shop before we moved in. We liked the fact that we were a little off – almost like the black sheep of the street. But now I think we’re the epicentre of this new quarter with Hauser & Wirth and Sadie Coles.” Another defining moment was marked with the launch of their own label with a collection called Missing Pieces. Adds Beattie, “It was stuff you couldn’t go out there and find – the classic blazer, the basic shirt. It was stuff no one really did because they thought the high street was doing it.” Following the unexpected success of their line, they added womenswear to the mix and now showcase their clean yet quirky aesthetic during London Fashion Week. Fittingly for a line that’s almost autobiographical, the ever dapper Murphy and Beattie are their own best models. Today they are kitted out in pieces from their own collection and their recent smash hit collaboration with Liberty’s – hints of the archive floral print peeking out in unexpected combinations.
The duo are celebrating their decade in retail in quietly grand style: a presentation and party for S/S12, a move to new premises at Kingly Street, pop-up concessions in Paris and Moscow and most intriguingly with a project called ’10 for 10’ – ten iconic British brands (Cutler & Gross, Penhaglion’s among them) creating limited edition luxury product specially for the occasion. As a statement of intent, it takes some beating. Murphy agrees, “This is a completely different entity. We wanted to reach an audience that we hadn’t before. We’re ten but how does we evolve? With ‘10 for 10’, it was a celebration of things British and the whole thing was celebratory.”
