Browns has been part of the fashion landscape for half a century, but its forward-thinking approach and investment in emerging brands has firmly kept it a few steps ahead of the competition.
The small but mighty boutique in London was the first multi-brand luxury store and became a haunt for anyone who wanted to know the next big name in fashion. It’s global reach continued to grow with the introduction of e-commerce and after a recent refurb of the site, it feels like the freshest and edgiest space for style lovers to come and explore up-and-coming names as well as established houses.
It was overseen by the humble and extremely chic Joan Burstein aka Mrs B, who purchased the store with her husband Sidney from Sir William Piggott Brown in 1968. She was the first to stock the likes of Alexander McQueen, John Galliano and Christopher Kane and it was also her who brought Giorgio Armani, Jil Sander, Calvin Klein, Comme des Garçons and more to the UK shores. Placing emphasis on the pieces themselves, Mrs B and her team have always been praised for having one of the best and unique buys and she was even awarded a CBE in the Queen’s birthday honours list in 2006. In 2015 e-commerce giant Farfetch purchased Browns and Mrs B retired a year later leaving a dazzling mark on the industry.
To mark this milestone, the store has unveiled ‘Browns 50: The Height of Fashion’ concept that brings together friends of the brand to share their testimonials as well as archival images. Browns has also worked with Givenchy, Balmain, Off-White, Molly Goddard, Simone Rocha, Charles Jeffrey, Casablanca, Bode and many more on capsule collections.
Below the Chief Executive Officer of Browns, Holli Rogers, talks us through the initiative and shares her vision for the historic store in the future.
What impact do you feel Browns has had on the fashion landscape over the last 50 years?
Browns has been intrinsic to the fabric of retail, not only in London but globally. The legacy of the Browns in terms of being an incubator for new talent and really bringing huge designers to the forefront of their careers remains a focus to this day. When it launched onto the scene, it was the first multi-brand luxury retailer of its kind and was the platform for so many international brands to hit the UK market including Ralph Lauren, Jil Sander and Calvin Klein.
Talk us through the feel and theme of the 50th anniversary shoot?
It truly is a celebration of the legacy of Browns and those height of fashion moments we all have. We took a lot of cues from Browns archive advertisements which were originally produced in the 70s and brought them back to life with a modern twist. We were able to bring together an incredible cast of talent that form our community – people with both style and substance, from designers to musicians, established talent and the next generation – which is exactly what Browns has been renowned for since 1970. We kick off the celebration with a fashion shoot, revealing some of the exclusive capsule collections designed specifically for our 50th celebration in partnership with both established and next-generation talent including Givenchy, Jil Sander, Manolo Blahnik and more. We’ve also filmed some video testimonials with some of the industry’s true fashion lovers recalling a collective compilation of past fashion memories.
Browns is celebrating half a century during one of the most turbulent times for the industry, how has the brand handled the pandemic?
It has definitely been a challenge – our physical stores were closed for just over three months. Luckily we have a strong online presence and have had for the last couple of years. That was really important to me when I joined five years ago, to get that up and running in a meaningful way and that’s something foundationally we have been able to build on. We also used this time to really engage with our customers, using tech and mobile to stay connected and ensure we were adapting to their ever-evolving needs and desires. We also introduced categories such as homeware and lifestyle towards the back half of last year and have seen real growth in these areas throughout the pandemic. Overall, we have fared well.
What are your plans for the coming months including the festive period?
We are actually relocating our flagship store in a matter of months to Brook Street, so lots to look forward to as we move into this next chapter of Browns. It really has innovation at the heart and will bring to life our services and clienteling proposition through unique spaces, all with the customer at the forefront. We are also working on a fantastic holiday campaign that will bring to life the renowned Browns edit all focused around the ideas of desire, empowerment and sensory.
How would you define Browns today and how does it fulfil the current needs of shoppers?
Even five decades on, we very much see the value in bricks-and-mortar and how retail spaces allow customers to engage with and experience the brand and are excited for our next chapter at Brook Street. For us, it’s all about resurfacing the magic that has existed in physical stores. Today’s customers want convenience, and they also want to feel connected and inspired and to be able to move seamlessly between the physical and digital worlds and have a personalised retail experience. We are also looking at expanding our product offering into new categories and really putting an emphasis on our Conscious edit as we feel customers and particularly the younger generation of customers are much more consciously minded. They are collectively looking at making more sustainably-led purchasing decisions and they are also looking at holding brands accountable.
We know Browns is one of the main destinations for Middle Eastern shoppers, do you have any plans for the region or are looking to add Middle Eastern brands?
We love being able to connect with our customers in their home regions which is why we started our Nomad initiative; to be able to bring the Browns experience directly to the customer. We wanted to be able to immerse ourselves within the world and culture of our customer, directly on their doorstep and looking forward we would love to bring this concept to our Middle Eastern customers, hopefully in the future.
What has been your most memorable moment at Browns?
Taking on and being able to steer a brand with so much legacy and history is probably my proudest accomplishment to date alongside being able to build an amazing team of people. I continue to be inspired by the prospect that I was given back when I joined which was the opportunity to pioneer the next retail frontier and re-establish the foundations of what Browns stood for and continues to stand for which is integrity and innovation.
Are there any iconic moments you’d love to re-live from the past 50 years?
There are so many incredible moments to draw on. Everyone raves about the Halloween parties that were held in Browns Focus, the retail space dedicated to the next generation of talent, and we were able to bring this back to life with our Halloween inspired opening event for Browns East three years ago. I don’t know if it’s just that we aren’t currently all able to get together, however, another moment I would love to re-live is the Cabana Magazine party we hosted at South Molton Street several years ago. It was so much fun and I recall the guys from DimoreStudio were DJ’ing that night and are now leading the design of our Brook Street flagship – that’s true collaboration.
Your most treasured purchase?
One of my most treasured purchases from Browns is a Gucci ring I brought to commemorate the opening of Browns East or as we affectionately call it BEast and it represents this wild creature. Opening the store was a career first for me and a defining moment, a stake in the ground, and a fundamental next step in forging the path for a new era of Browns.
How will you be celebrating this milestone?
We won’t be celebrating in the way we originally planned, a milestone like this would normally warrant a party in true Browns style – we know how to throw a good party! – however, much like everyone we are rethinking and readjusting and are excited to be able to celebrate digitally – also meaning we can include our global community.
If you could envision Browns 50 years from now, what would you hope to see?
Undeniably, it will be a blend of physical and online. No one could have anticipated what 2020 had in store for us and it’s taught us the importance of having a truly multi-channel approach. Whilst the digital arena is accessible 24-7, the in-store experience is in demand, more than ever before. The adoption of technology has definitely accelerated and through continued development in this arena at Browns we’re on a journey to create the ultimate personal shopping experience and I’m excited for the next chapter of Browns history.
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