Miller Harris' Alex Oprey on his Out of Office essentials

Walpole: In a world where we’re always available, how do you separate your personal time from your work time?

Alex Oprey: I feel very lucky to regard what I do as a career, so I’ve worked to make the worlds co-exist in a way I don’t feel they need to be kept completely separate. There are elements of both parts of your life that can help inspire the other, so I try to be open and embrace this – while respecting my own boundaries. My dad worked a 9-5 job during his career and I have a strong memory that he had this wonderful ability to walk in the house at 5:30pm with a smile on his face and be immediately present in the room. As a child I always assumed he’d been somewhere really fun all day. I now know that this probably wasn’t always the case. So now having my own young family, I often keep this in mind and how I’m allowing work to be viewed positively for everyone at home. I do wonder at how on earth he managed it sometimes.

Two phones helps, but when you’re in retail, it’s a 24 hour-a-day business so my work phone isn’t often far away. If the work phone is going to be around 24/7, my best advice is for healthy notification management and segmenting the tools you use and who you use them with.

What’s one thing you do after the work day to help you unwind?

It changes from day to day, but I try and get some fresh air and make time to walk, even a short distance, just to find a sense of division. Someone told me the best way to unwind is not to wind yourself up in the first place – I quite like that. So I try and keep things pretty level in the day.

I have three children under seven and both me and my wife have to work around each other’s work. So my first priority is to get all my children to bed and be thankful for surviving that. I’m lucky to live by the sea so I swim or read if my wife has gone to gym and then I enjoy putting some music on and cooking.

What activity do you do in your time away from the office that helps you relax and recentre after a stressful week?

Earlier in the summer I joined a new outdoor 50m swimming lanes that has been built on the beach in Brighton. I try and go every other morning or early evening, and it’s having a really positive impact on my daily balance of getting some outdoor time, exercise and seeing the city I live in and love.

What’s something you’ve read, listened to or seen in your spare time that’s helped you at work?

I’ve always believed that creativity as an art form can have the answer most of the bigger questions. The pursuit of creativity in all aspects of life is crucial to creating change, and I believe that’s the case in my work place too. I’ve recently re-watched the TED Talk from actor Ethan Hawke on this subject and it resonates with me a lot. 

After home and the office, where’s your favourite third space?

I’d have to probably say London. It’s a pretty big marker to class as a third space, but I chose to make my home Hove because I love the atmosphere and being by the sea. However, ten years of commuting to London four hours a day can make your appreciation of it wane a bit. As we’ve embraced a hybrid model at Miller Harris in the last three years, I’ve slowly re-fallen in love with London as my visits have become limited to once or twice a week. You see it differently when you walk and take your time without the pressure of the five day a week tube trip to the office to contend with. The food, art and culture of London has never been better and I’ve found a new appreciation for this.

On Sunday night, how do you prepare yourself for the week ahead?

I try to treat Sunday like any day in that they’ll be plenty more to come, so not to identify it as an evening to change my patterns. The working week can bring a lot of challenges but also a lot to look forward to, so my preparation is the same as any evening. I need to check my work diary against my family diary and make sure there is some cohesion to the week and all the pressure points are addressed. I’ll check the sales from the week so I have my thoughts together for commercial calls the next day. If I have an early meeting I’ll make sure I have the prep done, but otherwise I’m focussing on having a nice evening.

Best reason you've had to turn your Out of Office on recently?

I just got back from Greece with my family which I loved – and felt overdue! Swimming in the Mediterranean is just good for the soul. We launched a fragrance inspired by the island of Hydra Figue recently, so I feel quite immersed in Greece at the moment. The whole Greek spirit of slow living is a constant source of inspiration.

Your go-to Out of Office outfit: I have a similar work and home wardrobe which is either good planning or I need to get a bit more comfortable at home! I keep the colour palate quite simple and mix a jacket and T-shirt most days. I like to walk a lot when in London, so I embrace wearing smart-casual clothes with a good choice of trainers. I do think well-fitted, good quality clothes are key to balancing a well put-together outfit, so I try keeping it simple around this philosophy.

Your happy place anywhere in the world: France, with my family, a cold glass of white wine, cooking, some good music and no wifi.

Your favourite bar or restaurant: I need to pick a Brighton restaurant to showcase how good the food is here. We recently ate at a new restaurant near home called Palmito and it blew me away. Try the El Choclo – I’ve never had sweetcorn like it.

Something you booked recently that you'd recommend: I love to see live music and got to see Bruce Springsteen again recently, who never disappoints. Although I seem to have got older with the crowd at my gigs of late and felt my age at this one! I visit Paris quite a bit to meet our perfumery team and they took me to the Louis Vuitton LV Dream exhibition on our most recent trip. It’s an amazing balance of a luxury brand viewing heritage through a modern lens.

Something you've listened to or read recently that you'd recommend: There was an album recently released of a series of Nina Simone live recordings from her years playing the Montreux Jazz Festival and it’s just stunning. Her performance of "Stars" is as close as I could say I’ve seen anyone reach the pinnacle of performance.

A hobby you'd like to cultivate: I used to row at university and stopped when the need for a river became relevant to maintaining the sport. I’m keen to get a machine at home and see if I can match my 20-year-old times, but I remain doubtful I still have it in me!

A luxury that’s actually a necessity: Art. As Ethan Hawke says in the TED Talk I referenced above: "Human creativity matters. It’s when art becomes not a luxury, but actually sustenance."

Best luxury under £25: My coffee in the morning with my eldest son before school. Usually at The Flour Pot Bakery near my house in Hove. I’m pretty sure from memory my childhood didn’t include coffee shop runs for oat flat whites before school, so I appreciate the dynamic shift in this being our quality time together with a touch of irony and amusement.