BROWNS TO OPEN NEW LONDON FLAGSHIP
On April 12th, Browns will open its doors to its new Brook Street flagship boutique in London. Located at 39 Brook Street in the heart of London’s Mayfair neighborhood, is designed to immerse visitors in the specialty retailer’s curated world of fashion, fine jewelry, food, and culture.
With the opening of this new flagship, Browns is saying goodbye to its first location on South Molton Street, which first opened its doors in 1970. The Brook Street store will join Browns other East London location in Shoreditch.
Architecture and design studio Dimorestudio led the design of Browns Brook Street to create an environment that retains the historical fabric of the building while conveying the new vision established by Browns. Set over four floors, the new store features a restaurant and an unexpected yet inviting courtyard that helps to celebrate the history of the building, which has been preserved yet modernized. Built in 1720, the heritage site located on the corner of Avery Row and Brook Street, has had an illustrious history within the fabric of Mayfair having housed influential British decorating firm Colefax and Fowler which was founded by the 20th-century tastemaker Nancy Lancaster, who resided in the space. Drawing on these historical aspects of the building and retaining some of the site’s original grandeur, some areas have been left completely untouched, blending old decadence with a contemporary mood.
On the ground floor, customers will find “The Focus,” a space where the retailer will highlight its current obsessions. A completely movable space, The Focus has the capability to truly transform. Think exclusive capsule collections, collaborations, and the newest, brightest talent being championed. The space will also act as a window to the flagship store. What’s up first? An exclusive with firm favorite, Marine Serre.
The ground floor also features a fine jewelry and watches room, a fragrance corner, a shoe room, and the restaurant and courtyard. The restaurant serves as an outpost to London eatery Native on Osea. Called Native at Browns, head chef Ivan Tisdall-Downes and Imogen Davis will lead Native’s newest location. Opening alongside the boutique, the restaurant will continue to champion seasonal produce and ethical dining through a selection of closed-loop small plates, natural wines and foraged cocktails. Native was designed by sustainable design leaders Red Deer, while the courtyard was designed by award-winning landscapers Rosebank.
The staircase which leads to the space’s breathtaking atrium features a Dimorestudio designed light installation that encourages those within the store to look up, and celebrates experiencing the wonder of the physical space, separating you from any distractions.
Next up, the womenswear floor, which showcases the retailer’s much-loved range of the hottest clothing and accessories. The menswear floor complements Browns womenswear edit. The menswear floor showcases the unique Browns menswear offering; expect the best pieces from the retailer’s renowned activewear buy alongside the finest tailoring from Italy to London and back again. Browns will also be bringing personalization to the customer through made-to-measure, launching next summer.
Moving on up is The Club and The Parlour, the retailer’s one-of-a-kind floor for the most special of patrons. Tailored to each customer’s needs this is a unique destination with three exclusive rooms; Jimi, Joan, and Nancy paying homage to the famous Brook Street residents and Browns founder – Jimi Hendrix, Nancy Lancaster, and Joan Burstein (Mrs. B). Clients can expect a truly luxurious ‘Store for One’ experience. This also includes pampering in the new dedicated Parlour area; the by-appointment-only service, offering clients access to styling, beauty, and wellness experiences with a curated host of industry icons and rising stars.
Expect to also find services like the new concierge, style advisors, flexible fulfillment and delivery options, and a program of in-store experiences and regular events. The new store also offers a new connected experience that will allow customers to shop and engage with the retailer in a multi-channel way. This is a tech-enabled customer experience, connected by Farfetch, that links Browns’ website, its sales associate and consumer apps, the connected mirrors, its style advisors, its stores, and its customers acting as the glue that brings the unique Browns experience to life.
“I am thrilled to see us open our flagship, Browns Brook Street, as we kick off 2021,” said Holli Rogers, chair of Browns. “There is an overall feeling of optimism for this new year and I can’t think of a better way to honour our role in luxury fashion over the past five decades, as well as set the tone for our next 50 years by clearly placing our foot firmly in the future of luxury retail. Our new magical home will inspire customers as well as usher in a fundamental shift in the way people shop as layered into this connected, tech-enabled experience is a thoughtful and human side – which is so crucial in the current landscape where personal and personalisation is pivotal. At such an inflection point, it is incredible to see the reality of this store come to life in a revolutionary space that blends the past and the future seamlessly. The space is truly sensorial; sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch – offering a unique experience through each visit. The customer is truly at the core of what we do, and we hope that our new home will be one that you never want to leave.”
“This is such an exciting milestone for Browns and for the Farfetch vision for Luxury New Retail (LNR), which we believe is the future of retail,” added José Neves, founder, co-chairman, and CEO of Farfetch, the parent company of Browns Fashion. “Our Farfetch Platform Solutions (FPS) and Store of the Future Teams have worked with Browns to bring Farfetch’s state-of-the-art omnichannel retail technologies to the store to serve the changing needs of the luxury customer – both online and in this incredible physical space.
Added Neves: “Browns has always been an innovative retailer and since we acquired the company in 2015 Farfetch has worked together with the team to keep this spirit alive and pioneer new ways of engaging customers – both online and offline. The Brook Street store is a testament to the vision the team had of creating a physical space which could engage customers in new and enchanting ways.”
