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Getting a lay of the local land from the friends of Oliver Spencer

Interview by Will HALBERT

Frontiers Man is an independent menswear store in the heart of Edinburgh’s West End. Owned by Nigel Pashley, the store was opened 3 years ago as an expansion to his partner’s sister store, Frontiers Women. Frontiers Man has quickly become the go-to store in Edinburgh for quality, independent menswear. An Oliver Spencer stockist since day one, Frontiers moved to a larger premises across the road and opposite the woman’s shop in July last year, where Nigel was joined, full time, by Joe Hall. This is a combination of Nigel’s and Joe’s favourite haunts. EJ

What is your city’s best kept secret (that you’re willing to share)?
Edinburgh has many secret places to visit, especially in terms of bars, music and architecture, but a favourite of ours is the Dean Village and a stroll down the Water of Leith to Stockbridge. The Dean Village is just to the North West of the Centre, and on a sunny day it is absolutely beautiful. It’s hard to imagine that you’re just a 10 minute walk away from Princes Street. On the South side, the Meadows is a huge park right in the City Centre. It’s often overlooked by tourists, but it’s a great place to relax, have a BBQ or just play a game of football or frisbee with some strangers.

Where’s the best place to get your morning coffee?
Generally, we like to keep it local and independent whenever possible. So we spread our coffee purchases between three delis and takeaways on William Street: Herbies, Roots and Maialino. All three are well worth a try. As Joe strolls into work from the south he has a number of options he likes to stop at like Brew Lab, Machina, and particularly Thomas J Walls in the Old Town. Thomas J Walls kept its name from an old opticians and serves great coffee and an amazing breakfast!

Any good food spots that you’d recommend?
Edinburgh is split into several ‘villages’ and there are more gems in these than most cities. My favourites are L’Escargot Blanc on Queensferry Street – a superb French bistro/wine bar; Fishers in the City for seafood; and Mother India for currys. Joe recommends Gardener’s Cottage, Timber Yard, Ondine and Tanjore. We all love Café St. Honore, which is tucked away in a little lane in the Centre. Joe’s been going for 20 years and I hired it out for my 50th.

Where’s the best spot for a post-work drink?
The list is long! Post work drinks tend to be at the nearby Voyage of Buck in William Street, where they do great beers and cocktails, Whighams in Hope Street, just off Charlotte Square, and then back to L’Escargot Wine Bar. Further afield for craft beer I’d also recommend trying Salt Horse, Cask and Barrel, The Dagda, Brauhaus and Cloisters.

Any must-see monuments, buildings, installations or works of art we should check out while we’re here?
Edinburgh is crammed with monuments, superb buildings and museums. Apart from the obvious choices, we would recommend the National Gallery of Modern Art to the west of the Centre; based in two buildings, they have great resident pieces and are currently showing Andy Warhol and Eduardo Paolozzi until June. Both galleries have decent cafés and gardens to relax in after your art fix. The Dovecot Studios and the Fruitmarket Gallery in the Old Town are also well worth a trip. A walk up Calton Hill is well worth it, too. It’s one of Edinburgh’s volcanic plugs, and has an unfinished library on the top known as ‘Edinburgh’s disgrace’, which it isn’t! It’s a great place to sit and watch the sunrise in summer after a serious night out!

Have you noticed a shift towards a more sustainable way of living in your city? Where?
There is a definite shift towards sustainability in Edinburgh. Not just in the recycling of domestic and trade waste, but in people’s attitudes towards clothing. More people are moving towards better quality items that will last for many seasons and away from the ‘wear it once and throw away’ attitude. Organic fabrics are becoming more common and popular, as you can clearly see in Oliver Spencer’s shirting. Edinburgh is also the home of Vegware – those lovely people behind compostable packaging – a huge international success story. Also, we have a great vintage clothing scene that provides us with preloved clothes the best of which are Skinny Pig and Armstrongs. 

Is there a particular neighbourhood or area that’s transforming for the better?
Staying loyal to our own locality, we believe that the West End is seeing a resurgence for the better. The area was devastated some 6-7 years ago when the infamous Edinburgh Tram works were ongoing, with many small businesses going to the wall or struggling to survive. But now that’s all in the past, we are seeing a growth in independent retail and hospitality, with businesses springing up everywhere and offering a welcome alternative to the big business development going on in St Andrews Square at the East End. Just next to our two Frontiers stores, we have been joined by Oska, and Deciem who are opening their first Scottish store shortly. On the other side of Town, Leith walk is an amazing area of contradictions, locals, newcomers, art, culture, food. Its being touted as the coolest place in Europe at the moment by everyone, but it’s always been cool and full of interesting folk.

Do you have any personal favourite items from the new Oliver Spencer Spring Summer 19 line-up?
The Oliver Spencer SS19 collection has been very strong in store and we are delighted with the sales so far. Great cloth, interesting detail, and good fit for the sartorially-minded man. Personally, I’ve had my eye on the relaxed look of the unstructured Theobald Jacket and Drawstring Trousers. Joe grabbed two of the New York Special shirts as soon as they were delivered, in Vernet Yellow and Indigo. It’s always a good sign when the guys in the store are sporting the goods!