A day in the life of Benjamin Glyn Phillips

“I like to smile because I have gold teeth, so I show them off a bit!”. Smiling (and flashing some gold) as he opens his front gate, Benjamin Glyn Phillips welcomes us in his warm, cosy living room on a cloudless day in Walthamstow, North London. With jazz playing on his record player, the assistant shop manager for Drake’s - a brand that started with ties and became a reference of effortless style - sits with us to open up about his favourite face products, his passion for clothing (on that particular day, he’s wearing Gucci loafers, a knit tie, and a soft-shouldered navy blue blazer), and how Brazilian jiu-jitsu changed his life.

Hi Ben, thanks for welcoming us today! Can you introduce yourself to our readers?

I’m Ben Phillips, I’m 40 years old. I’m the assistant manager at Drake’s, Clifford Street. I’ve been working with Drake’s a year and a half.

Before you started working at Drake’s, what did you do?

I worked in the tattoo industry: I co-owned a tattoo shop in Swansea, called Swansea Tattoo Company. I had that for six years. Before that, I had a supply company for tattoo shops: I sold inks, machines, etc. I did that for many years. I’ve been in the tattoo industry for the best part of fifteen years.

How did you make the switch from the tattoo industry to clothing?

I’d worked in clothing previously, and always had a love and passion for clothing. The lease of our tattoo shop was up and I kind of felt like I wanted to move in a different direction. I became a bit disenchanted with what the tattoo industry had become and how it had changed. I just wanted something new, a different path. You know, I only know about four things. The first one is tattooing, and I think I’ve gone as far as I could since I’m not a tattoo artist myself, but I was lucky enough to work in this industry for a long time. The second is fighting, but I’m not good enough to make any money out of it. I also know about music, but there is no money in music anymore. The last thing I know is clothing. This was the obvious choice. Also, my wife was really keen to move back to London after six very painful years in Wales!

Where did your passion for clothing come from?

I’ve always been interested in clothing, ever since I was a kid. I wanted a particular pair of trainers - obviously more expensive than any other shoes - because it’s just the way it is. My friends had Nike tracksuits, but I wanted an Air Jordan tracksuit, which is kind of ridiculous when you think about it, but it’s just how it is! I’ve always been excited about it. I was really into what was going on in Japan, I was a massive fan of A Bathing Ape when it first came out. I think the first few collections still are one of the best things ever. I’ve been lucky enough to become friends with a guy called Kei Hemmi, who does a brand called Time Worn Clothing in Japan. And I’ve been really lucky to work for Michael Hill at Drake’s. To me, he and Kei are two of the best dressers I know. They’re both amazing, and I’ve never seen them do wrong.

How is your morning organised?

I wake up pretty early, probably like 5, 5:30. I do the usual things: shower, wash my face. At the moment, I’m literally blown away by the stuff you do. The face scrub, the cleanser, the moisturiser... I tend to get dry skin, especially on my face and that stuff helped me. I sound like an advert but when people say to you “man, there’s something different about you, you look great” and the only thing you’ve changed is the products you use... Those three products, I’ll probably use them for the rest of my life. I’m already worried about them running out! They’re so good. My wife is a make-up artist so whenever I bring a product home, she looks at it. She looked at the Horace ones, and said they were very good! She stole my travel pouch as well. Before that, I used a lot of things from Santa Maria Novella. I’m a sucker for something with a bit of history. My fragrance of choice is Tabacco Toscano from Santa Maria Novella or Royall Bay Rum, depending on my mood. In my teenage years, it was Brut or Old Spice! I used Baxter of California shampoo and conditioner for a while, but I’ve switched to Horace and they’re great too. I used to have much slicker hair, and I used Cool Grease from Japan. I cut my hair recently so I wouldn’t have to comb it every morning. I now use the Horace wax.

How often do you shave?

I shave once a week using only clippers. I look like a large child when I’m clean shaved!

What time are you at the shop at?

I’m there by 8, 8:30. I take the tube, it’s not too bad from here. We’re pretty close to the train station so it’s about 45 minutes door to door, which for London is pretty good! We open at 10 and I like to get to the shop very early. I like to put some music on, something that wouldn’t be played during the day, and just ease my way into the working day. I really enjoy doing the manual tasks of setting up the shop for the day: sweeping the front of the shop, doing the hoovering, setting up the till, putting the bench in front of the shop... I really like this element of being a shopkeeper.

What do you have for breakfast?

I rarely eat breakfast, to be honest. Sometimes, I’ll grab something, but I mostly fuel myself on way too much coffee. I normally have two coffees before I leave the house. Even when I don’t need it, I take a coffee and bring it to work, because it’s my routine! You know, it’s like: drink half the coffee, go outside, sweep the floor, drink the other half... We just got a Nespresso machine in the shop as well, which is dangerous. Our customers love it!

Your work is all about human contact. Who are your customers, and how do you work with them?

We’ve got a really interesting customer base. You get guys that buy into the full look, who are just massive fans of Drake’s. You’ll get City guys who come in to buy three or four suits at the same time and then you’ll get the guy that saved up all year to buy a Drake’s tie or a pocket square. Each customer is as valuable as the other. It doesn’t matter if he spends 10,000 or 50 pounds. It means as much to each person - and in the case of that guy who just bought a tie for his wedding, it means the world to him. We get a really interesting cross section of people. They’re the best people, and some of them have become close friends. It’s kind of easy with Drake’s because the product is so good. I don’t have to sell it. I have to get you a size, and make sure you know what you want. There’s no hard selling. It’s really natural, no one is forcing anything on anyone.

It looks like working with Drake’s also means being a part-time model. How often do you get involved in photoshoots?

It’s true that there are quite a few photoshoots with Drake’s. I’ve done a lot of them, even before! If you need a big tattooed guy, I’m here. I’ve done a lot of stuff in Japan, I’ve done a shoot where I was wearing three million pounds worth of diamonds for Wonderland Magazine. I’ve played in bands and stuff, so I’m kind of used to it. It’s interesting, working with different photographers. My friend Jamie Ferguson shoots a lot of our stuff. We hang out and he takes photos: it’s pretty easy! I just shot with Fred Castleberry, he does things differently but it’s very interesting and very nice too. I don’t think I’m the easiest person to photograph, but they manage to make the magic happen.

Do you wear a lot of formal clothing?

I’m usually in quite formal clothing. If I was just sitting around the house all day, maybe I wouldn’t be and I’d wear more tracksuits! Before, I was really into heritage, denim, workwear. But I was a big fan of Drake’s before I started to work with them. I got married in a Drake’s shirt, tie and pocket square. Because I wear formal clothing every day, I now feel highly uncomfortable if I’m not suited up! If I’m going out, I put a shirt and tie on. I’ve still got all my workwear stuff, but when I put it on, it doesn’t go that well with where I am in my life. Drake’s has a relaxed side to it, too. You can dress it up or down! It’s really good for clothing to wear at a social occasion. I just went to see a band called Oh Sees wearing a seersucker suit and I didn’t feel out of place, even if I was probably the only man wearing a seersucker suit there!

As long as you don’t get beer spilled on it...

We were upstairs, in the VIP section! (laughter)

Music plays a huge part in your life. What kind of bands did you play in?

I played in a hardcore band called 33, which was me and a bunch of friends. We did that for a few years, toured a bunch, released a record, got to open up for some of my favourite bands. We achieved way more than I ever thought we would! It was always for us. It was never like: “we’re going to be in this band, and be huge!” The fact that somebody bought one of our records, or showed up to see us play, was amazing to me. It’s like the best thing ever! It was way more than I expected from this ugly music that I made for my own satisfaction.

The music you’re playing for us today is really different from hardcore though!

I’ve always been into jazz too, but my knowledge is very limited. I had the classics, “A Love Supreme”, “Kind of Blue”, and always really liked it. The last trip I made to Japan, I just ended up buying a lot more stuff, just by coincidence. Being in London, there are so many great specialist shops. I go to “Sounds of the Universe” a lot, which is like my favourite record shop. There is a guy there called Alex who just totally looks after me. He’s a jiu-jitsu guy as well, which helps. I go in and say “Hey! I want this, this, and this” and he’s like “Yeah I’ve already put it to one side for you”. He knows what I want and would recommend stuff that I don’t know, and his knowledge is immense. I’m really lucky to have him. Him and my friend Tony Sylvester are my two jazz teachers! If you want to know about New Orleans doom metal, or New York hardcore, I’m your man, but jazz... I’m a real beginner, but I’m really into it.

You are a tattooed guy. How many do you have?

I have one tattoo, it’s just not finished yet! (laughter)

And when did you start working on that one tattoo then?

I started getting tattooed when I was 24. I had to wait for my dad to die before I could get tattooed because it just wasn’t worth the argument! I was lucky enough to already be friends with a chap called Thomas Hooper, who I met through hardcore, and at that point his career just skyrocketed and he introduced me to some amazing tattoo artists, amazing people, some of whom are my closest friends and anything I did in that industry is thanks to Thomas. He was the catalyst. Hats off to him for that! He’s the most immense, amazing artist.

You practice jiu-jitsu. How long have you been doing that for?

I’ve studied it for eleven years but I’m not very good. I started training in Swansea under a guy called Chris Rees, who was the first ever Welsh black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. At the time, he was a purple belt and a friend of mine, Rob, started training with him. You know, I’m a big dude. But back then, I was really, really, really big. I was maybe ten stone heavier than I am now and my friend Rob told me: “I’m doing this, and I think you’d like it”. He knew I liked MMA and things like that. I’ve been into UFC since like UFC 1. He said “I know you love this stuff, you should come to training”. I was too scared. Rob said there was a beginners class planned. He told me: “We’re doing a beginners course for six weeks. You’ll go. Sign up, come down and do it”. He didn’t ask, but he was right: jiu-jitsu saved my life in more ways than one.

How so?

It got me a lot healthier, first of all. I’m really dyslexic and I left education feeling like I was incapable of learning anything. I didn’t learn to drive a car, for example. I had a pretty bad time in school. But with jiu-jitsu, I was actually learning something. I thought that if I can do this I can do anything! So on that same night, I bought a driving license and started learning to drive. I went back to college last year to take my GCSEs in English, which was petrifying. Every success I’ve had in my life goes back to that moment in jiu-jitsu. And the people I’ve met through it are amazing.

How many times a week do you train?

At the moment, I’m so busy with Drake’s... It’s so rare. A good way to put it would be “how many times a month do I train”! That’s something I really need to sort out. My master, Mauricio Gomes, he’s in Brazil for like three months. You know, master is a word I wouldn’t give to many people. My friend Miles once told me: “no grown man needs a master” and I really agreed with him until I met Mauricio. He’s my jiu-jitsu master. When he gets back, I plan to go training a bit harder. I’d like to compete a few times again and win that brown belt!

Where do you train?

My master Mauricio is the father of Roger Gracie, who’s the greatest of all time in my opinion. When I train with Mauricio, I train at the Roger Gracie academy, which is in White City. I also sometimes train with a chap called Sacha in Soho.

You’re truly passionate about your work. How do you manage to switch off?

I’m supposed to work 5 days a week, but sometimes it’s a bit more because we often have stuff like trunk shows or events. You’ve got to step up and work more sometimes. I do it with great pleasure. As a company, Drake’s looks after you, so I like to look after Drake’s!

Why, in your opinion, is Drake’s so popular right now?

It’s killing it right now. Drake’s does the marketing really, really well: they explain the vision of the brand exceptionally well. I was that guy looking at the Instagram page before, telling myself “I wish I was in Florence wearing a tie” so I’m really proud to be working for that company. The goal is to make something good and do something good. Michael and I have kind of the same ethos on that and this is part of why I like working with Drake’s so much!