Browns Brook Street, located at 39 Brook Street in the heart of London’s Mayfair, is an enchanting destination designed to immerse you in a curated world of fashion, fine jewellery, food and culture.
The move from their roots on South Molton Street, which first opened its doors in 1970, cements Browns as a purveyor of experiential retail, celebrating innovation and translating the brands pioneering spirit into new and exciting retail concepts that place emphasis on technology and the power of personal service.
The flagship in Mayfair is an intuitive environment that blends service with technology to create a seamless and connected customer journey. It signifies Brown’s ongoing commitment to the human aspect of physical retail. Browns believe the flagship store brings the essence of the brand to life and creates personal connections with the community.
Holli Rogers, Chair of Browns says, “I am thrilled to see us open our flagship, Browns Brook Street, as we kick off 2021. 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 which 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.”
José Neves, Founder, Co-Chairman & CEO of FARFETCH says, “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. 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.
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.”
Housed in a Grade II* listed building the space offers a rich canvas to uniquely showcase the merging of the historical and the contemporary, a representation of what Browns has been renowned for since the beginning – bringing together established and next-generation talent. Set over four floors, the new space features a pioneering restaurant and an unexpected yet inviting courtyard, and celebrates the history of 39 Brook Street which has been preserved yet modernised to perfectly imbue the Browns brand.
Built in 1720, the heritage site located on the corner of Avery Row and Brook Street, has had an illustrious history. 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.
Architecture and design studio, Dimorestudio led the design of Browns Brook Street to create an environment that retains the historical fabric whilst conveying the new vision established by Browns.
Britt Moran and Emiliano Salci, founders of Dimorestudio said, “We have delved into creating a space where the essential and clean line structures are juxtaposed to the existing fixtures. We were influenced by the artists Donald Judd, Carl Andre and Fausto Melotti. Thus, the metallic hanging structures in steel and iron reflecting on the black floor tiles. Custom designed and handmade wallpaper depicting faded floral Victorian patterns contrast with the essential, clean cut lines of the furnishing and lights, such as the neon lamps by Eileen Gray, the Elettra chairs by Arflex and the Gino Sarfatti lamps with exposed bulbs. We wished to convey a contemporary, unfinished, and slightly minimalistic feel.”
These intentional design choices which restore original features are paired with unexpected modernity; the space has been treated as a maison, utilising the central staircase and interconnected rooms to create rich and layered spaces lit with Dimorestudio-designed fixtures. Original floorboards are contrasted with monolithic modern structures, whilst exquisite hand-painted wallpapers preserve the colour and pattern of the original site. Moran and Salci continued, “Colour wise, we span from the gold of the painted bannister, with touches of paint on the wood steps, to the silver of the steel, and the black of the iron painted structures.”
Reinforcing the joy in discovery and service, Browns Brook Street’s unique proposition offers a plethora of personalised shopping experiences assisted by continuously evolving technological innovations, connected by FARFETCH, adding a rich new layer for the customer. These components seamlessly merge the digital and physical worlds creating a connected journey with the view to deliver exceptional customer experience and ensure a lasting connection with the Browns brand.
Browns Customer Experience Director Lee Whittle said, “We don’t want to replicate what other brands do. What we do is instinctively Browns. With five decades of customer service both offline and online we are in a unique position to connect with our clients in a bespoke and tailored way through curated and one-of-a-kind shopping experiences all with service at the forefront.”
Housing ‘The Club’ at the top floor provides a haven for our most valued customers and includes ‘The Parlour’, a bar and three personal shopping suites; Jimi, Joan and Nancy, paying homage to incredible residents of the past. After the success of the launch of the ‘Residencies’ programme online in October 2020, Browns Brook Street will also play home to the physical realisation of these experiences – exclusively at Browns. There is also a concierge which will facilitate services for clients.
Browns Brook Street has been designed to perfectly complement the Shoreditch location and much like Browns East, has been tailored to work within the neighbourhood it resides in, which is a characteristic of the Browns Nomad initiative.
Browns Brook Street is a destination that will support and fuel the future of experiential retail; familiar yet new and forward thinking, it’s a boutique that fuses product with culture and champions a conscious approach to fashion – expect something for lovers of food, art, design and architecture – as well as the Browns expertly curated edit. It’s beyond fashion.
