An interview with The Brighton Group Ltd

We caught up with our UK distributors, The Brighton Group Ltd, to find out more about their moments of ceremony, idea of a perfect team retreat and thoughts on Triumph & Disaster…

Introduce the team! Hit us with your virtues & vices

Ronnie (R): I look after marketing and communication for The Brighton Group and our partner brands here in the UK. I have a long list of virtues on a good day: patience, empathy, perseverance to name a few, these are fuelled by my twin vices of coffee and wine.

Charlotte (C): A little bit of everything, but I mainly assist with marketing, socials, and customer service for our partner brands. I would say I’m pretty organised and thorough with my work, but my vices are easier to name: I’m a massive sweet tooth. Like a bloodhound, a packet of biscuits will never escape me.

Paul (P): I'm a bit of an all rounder really, lots of logistics; inventory, ordering, accounts- all that fun stuff. Virtues: Easy-going, I'm lucky, I work with like-minded folk. Vices: Toblerone (the big one from the airport) and also Star Wars prequels (was Phantom Menace that bad?).

John (J): I look after the warehouse and logistics; I like everything ordered so keep a nice clean work environment. Vices, well probably too many to list! But happiest with a beer and listening to my vinyl collection.

Pictured: The team at Brighton Group Ltd

What is Brighton all about? The name and the business

We started Brighton Group about 7 years ago, with the aim of bringing niche beauty, grooming and lifestyle brands from around the world to UK audiences. We like finding stuff that's truly unique and extraordinary and representing brands in an authentic way that appeals to stores and customers alike. We sell to a network of bricks and mortar stores, from the more Goliath-like department stores to independent trailblazers, as well as running a London store & barbershop and direct to consumer websites.

We're based in East Sussex, on the coast, close enough to London to get there and back in a day but far enough away to have our own identity and lifestyle. There's definitely an independent, bohemian vibe down this way. Brighton, the only city in East Sussex reflects this outlook, there's a lot of creativity not only within the arts but the culture of stores and restaurants that you find is innovative and bustling. Though we're not, strictly speaking, in Brighton we align with the values represented by our nearest city, we share a coastline and penchant for chocolate flake whipees, shingle beaches and seal spotting.

Pictured: The Green Man Festival in Hastings, the largest event of its kind in the country.

If you were planning a team retreat today where would you head to and why?

Well, judging by our last two Christmas do's it would probably depend who organised it! In 2021 we watched a football match at Brighton Stadium (courtesy of Paul) and in 2022 we had a wine tasting at a local vineyard (courtesy of Ronnie). I think the whole team is partial to a long walk- so perhaps a hike in the nearby South Downs, it's breathtakingly beautiful with loads of history and there's always a nice watering hole to be found along the way.

We’re so excited for this next chapter, in your own words what is the essence of T&D and Brighton’s alignment?

Well we love the T&D collection: natural ingredients with products that work and a great sense of style. But beyond that we share a slightly cynical sense of humour, a drive to learn and grow and the no-nonsense type of honesty that great partnerships are made of.

You’re our England tour guides for the day, where are you taking us?

R: Punting in Cambridge with some Pimms

C: Over to Brighton for a cheeky pint on the beach and bag of chips in the sunshine.

P: Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival, my mum's from there, I spent a lot of time there growing up.

J: Walking in the mountains of Snowdonia, North Wales.

Clean shaven or Bearded? Debate…

R: Well stylistically I'm drawn to the hybrid beard tash, or a bit of well-managed stubble but I honestly probably prefer the guys in my life clean shaven.

C: Stubble or beard tash for me!

P: 3 days of growth, after that it starts to add a few years on me.

J: Clean shaven.

Pictured: The Hastings Country Park.

We’re big on moments of ceremony and the habits that come out of it. What ceremonial ritual has transformed your life?

R: Since I moved to the coast I started wild swimming and paddleboarding. I've always loved being by the water, and being in the sea or on the river is truly invigorating - you really don't think about much else than the activity you're immersed in and the beauty around you.

C: My absolute guilty pleasure is reading in bed, so most days I’ll wake up a little bit earlier so I can sneak in a chapter or two before I have to get up and go. Tea in one hand, book in the other: It’s a gentle way to wake up, but I find it really helps set the tone for the rest of the day.

P: My wife got me a Fender Strat for Christmas a few years back, I like to pick it up at the weekends and jam.

J: My wife and I got a dog; it has completely changed our lives. I now walk the country park every morning before work along the coastal path, enjoying the views as the sun rises.

Pictured: Max, one of the resident warehouse dogs.

What’s your favourite T&D product?

R: Dichotomy & Dark Moon. Don't ask me to choose between them. Love them both.

C: This is an easy one –Logic toner! I have oily skin, so am prone to the odd breakout every now and again. I started using the Logic toner about 6 months ago and can definitely see the difference, both in terms of overall skin tone and acne. My skin is much calmer.

P: The Face Cleanser, it really freshens me up, when I look in the mirror after using it, I like to think I look at least 5 years younger.

J: This is a hard one, it comes down to the shaving cream or the YLF.

Pictured: A Brighton Group favourite, Logic Toner.

Take us down memory lane, what was your biggest hair/grooming fail?

R: When I was kid, we used to stay with our grandparents every summer in Florida, and my grandmother, bless her, would have a new hairstyle for us to try every year. There was a Richard Simmons inspired perm (probably coupled with 80s sweatbands and leotards at some point). I managed to narrowly escape a mullet one summer by making my sister go first.

C: I was never very good at explaining to my hairdresser what I wanted, so there were a couple of years where every time I went, I ended up with shorter and shorter hair. I have a pretty round face, so it really wasn’t a good look. Think the classic ‘’Karen’’ haircut. I hated it but I never told her.

P: During the 90s I decided to have an undercut. The guilt- ridden barber felt so bad it only cost me £1. I'm still growing it out.

J: When I was in my teens, I described what I wanted so badly to the barber, that I ended up with the worst mullet ever! I think even the barber wanted me to wear a hat when I left!

And lastly, we might be naive to think NZ & London have a similar climate, so Summer or Winter?

R: Summer, 100%.

C: Winter, 100%.

P: Summer (was winter)

J: Summer (from what I can remember!)

Pictured: Sunny, one of the resident warehouse dogs.