Luxury and Freedom for Prince of Scots

As their first summer season came to a close the week after Labor Day, Tim Danser and David Campana, the owners of in Water Mill, said they have no intention of bailing on the community or their year-round clientele.

“We love the community, we love the nature, we love seeing the seals in the winter, we love the fresh air,” Danser said, explaining that he and Campana moved to Water Mill full time two years ago. They opened their store in July and they're here to stay.

Life partners for 20 years, Campana and Danser became business partners for the first time when they incorporated Prince of Scots, their luxury brand of “men’s, ladies’ and home” fashion, in 2010.

“I’m a veteran of the fashion industry,” said Danser, a former buyer for J.C. Penney and Sears. He eventually used his connections in the business to begin manufacturing sportswear for national and global retailers.

Campana comes from the world of interior design, where he managed large firms with as many as 14 designers working beneath him, so the partners’ different yet very related experience is the perfect pairing for Prince of Scots’ retail and manufacturing business.

“We’re carrying things that no one has seen before,” Campana said, pointing out the range of high-end bespoke items in their Water Mill shop. “People’s taste level has really risen,” he added, while describing the demand for unique luxury items, especially on the East End.

Named for Danser’s relation to the Forbes and Stuart clans and the 16th century Scottish queen, Mary Queen of Scots, Prince of Scots is all about entertaining people and providing a warm welcome and fine products for a chic lifestyle. They even adopted the Scottish luckenbooth — two intertwined hearts and a crown representing love, luck and devotion — as their symbol.

The treasures available at Prince of Scots include a carefully selected range of clothing, linens and home items, such as their exclusive Ermenegildo Zegna cashmere throws, the Prince of Scots Southampton Home bedding line and “the most comfortable boxers in the world” designed by McAlson in Belgium. “We’re the only ones that have them in the U.S.,” Danser said of the boxer shorts, which have a special interior lining to “keep everything in place” and come in attractive patterns, including “vintage girls” and tennis racquets.

In early September, Scottish artist and designer Iona Crawford was in the store for a “pre-fashion week preview,” showing off her new clothing designs and a line of pillows and linens made exclusively with and for Prince of Scots. All of the items feature Crawford’s watercolor paintings of birds and other wildlife, and the pillows perfectly demonstrate why Campana and Danser have an advantage working with both retail and manufacturing through Prince of Scots.

Danser and Campana pride themselves on exhibiting unique items nearly impossible to find anywhere else, especially anywhere else in America, in a relaxed and welcoming setting. The pair left their respective careers to finally work together and share the things they love with their new Hamptons customers, while also enjoying the freedom of running their own show. “We decided to be in charge of our own destiny,” Campana said, adding, “This was the time to do it.”

Prince of Scots is located at 700 Montauk Highway in Water Mill. Call 631-604-1392 or visit princeofscots.com for products, news and a robust blog, including info, lifestyle content, drink recipes and much more.