Browns Brook Street: your new fashion (and food and beauty) mecca

Blow drys, tattoos and cocktails - the new Browns Brook Street flagship has it all. Chloe Street has a first look
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Chloe Street7 April 2021

I don’t know about you but I am sick to death of online shopping.

I don’t want to try to zoom in on another dress on my screen or feel that am-I-killing-the-planet-guilt as another brown parcel arrives through my letterbox.

I miss the hustle and bustle of changing rooms. I miss sweeping my hand along a rail of clothes. I miss the deliciously tense moment of watching a sales attendant swipe my card for something I probably almost certainly don’t need. The tissue paper! The pretty bags! The 4pm celebratory glass of wine with pals! What, pray tell me, is not to love.

Which is why, on April 12, I am hot footing it down to Browns Fashion’s chic new four-storey megastore to waft and wallow in the endorphin-boosting glossy loveliness of it all.

Taking up home in a Grade II listed building on Brook Street (just at the end of South Molton Street where Browns previously resided), once the home of Nancy Lancaster founder of British decorating firm Colefax and Fowler, the new store has been sensitively designed by Milanese architects Dimorestudio and is a clever mix of ultra modern and 20th century grandeur. Think shimmering golden floorboards alongside original, faded Colefax and Fowler wallpaper.

Browns

The clothes themselves are the edgy, exciting and varied mix of luxury labels that Browns’ customers have come to know and love them for, divided into an accessories floor, a womenswear floor and one for men’s. The top floor is an area for VIP customers called The Club, which has a beauty bar, tattoo parlour, kitchen and several private personal shopping rooms.

The pièce de résistance is however the ground floor restaurant space designed by Red Deer, home to the London outpost of zero-waste restaurant Native. Book a table under the blossom trees in the glamorous 40-seater courtyard and dine on Maldon oysters, Fillet O’ Fish and foraged herbs among the best-dressed in town.  

Whether you fancy coffee and a blow dry followed by a private appointment with your personal stylist, or a boozy lunch with friends followed by a sneaker splurge and a cheeky tattoo, do yourself a favour: close that browser tab and jump in a cab to Brook Street.

I caught up with Browns Fashion Chair Holli Rogers to hear a little more about the retailer’s new home...

Browns

What does Browns Brook Street offer that you can’t get anywhere else?

At Browns, we love to innovate and take risks, and this is nothing like you’ve seen before particularly in the Mayfair area.

In terms of products, it offers our unique edit – a curation of our take on the season, the vibes, trends and attitudes we are loving and the brands we are getting behind from the established to the next generation. We also have some great exclusive products such as the Marine Serre capsule, which is our first installation in our beloved focus room.

On top of the product, we also have the connected by Farfetch customer journey – a subtle layer of technology that really enhances the customer experience and allows them access to our wider product edit as well as a unique way to engage with their sales associate. The store is all about personal connection and personalised experience – which I think we are all craving now - and with spaces such as our Club Floor as well as our restaurant Native at Browns, our courtyard and the immersive room – it really is a space to linger and hang out in.

What do you think people are looking for when they return to IRL shopping?

I believe that people are looking for that human or personalised connection that is difficult to replicate online. We all love fashion and get into it for the product and I think people are looking forward to being able to touch, feel and try on product again – most importantly they are looking for that element of discovery.

Our customers are missing that personal interaction with their sales associates IRL and we know they are keen to really engage with them on what is new in and what we are getting behind. Also people will be looking for spaces to explore, hang out, meet friends and even get their nails done or a cheeky little tattoo – Browns Brook Street offers all of that with that elevated service and more.

Browns

Do you increasingly see stores as somewhere for people to have an experience rather than actually shop?

It’s more a mix of both, the transaction or sale, I feel is a by-product of the experience – customers may come in and browse and then ultimately buy online later so the store is just one part of the journey. It needs to showcase who you are, what you stand for and provide the customer with a feeling – fashion is intrinsically linked with culture and that’s why experiences such as food, art, interiors, music all play into the space and offer a layer of engagement for the client that goes beyond the product.

For us, the store is about creating a space that is truly sensorial – you can’t always replicate this online. When we looked at the design of the space it really came down to creating an energy and evoking that feeling as soon as you enter – a visual feast as well as one that allows you to linger and that you want to come back to. We have been looking at experiential retail through Browns East, our east London boutique and are absolutely bringing some of those elements to Mayfair such as the immersive room and the focus area – albeit in a new way.

Browns

Tell me about the decision to include a restaurant and beauty bar?

We feel that food, beauty, art and music are all an extension of fashion and give us our unique point of view. What’s really important for us is to not only offer luxury through products but through our service proposition – there is a real joy in service and this is what sets us apart.

The restaurant space is something entirely new for us and it’s the first time we’re able to offer this to our customers and we’re so thrilled about it – the partnerships that we are forming through the likes of Native at Browns and the Residencies such as Jenny Longworth really play into our brand values, and that is about finding like-minded creatives and individuals that are part of our community and an extension of our designer offering.

Browns

What do you think high streets will look like in 5 and 10 years time?

Browns Brook Street cements our belief in physical retail – and the importance of the flagship. My background was predominately online before joining Browns and I think both spaces have their unique place within the eco-system of the industry. It is hard to predict as who would have thought a year ago that we’d still be in lockdown or that something like this would have hit us all globally and simultaneously. I like to be optimistic so I’m not worried about the future as such as I think with change and crisis comes opportunity and as an industry we have shown the power of what people, brands are able to do to engage their customers, both digitally and physically and the community that thrives within fashion.

I’d love to think that in five to 10 years, the future of retail will be more considered and conscious and that people will be looking at the longevity in product as well as the craftsmanship. We are always looking at what is next for luxury retail from resale, to rental to made-to-measure and will continue to be pioneers within the space.

What are you most excited to get out and see and do post-lockdown?

I’m excited to be able to head into Browns Brook Street and really see our clients response to the space first-hand. Also, I can’t wait to catch up with friends in the Courtyard over a Native Negroni - who would have thought how much of an asset that outside space would be!

London Rising: Your city, your future - Join us for the London Rising online events series (April 28 to June 16) to discuss what happens next for our capital.  Register for free: https://londonrising.standard.co.uk #LondonRising

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