Iconic fashion retailer Browns has opened its first new bricks-and-mortar store in 20 years in Shoreditch, east London.
Located on the corner of Club Row, the two-storey shop has been aptly named Browns East and is housed in a former print factory.
The store also complements the famous flagship on South Molton Street, Mayfair, which was first opened 1970 by Joan Rubenstein – popularly known as Mrs B – and her husband Sidney.
Browns East’s interiors follows a Nomad theme that is based on the Store of the Future concept by Farfetch – the online retail giant that acquired Browns in 2015 – and is eco-friendly thanks to the use of recycled floorboards and fixtures and furniture crafted from 100 per cent recycled plastics.
Alongside Browns’ range of luxury fashion items, there are art installations, a cafe, a gallery, an immersive experience room, an event space for gatherings, workshops and Q&As, plus a dedicated area for capsule collection drops and collaborations.
Browns East is also gender-neutral space, blurring the line between what was once strictly male or strictly female fashion.
“We’ve blended our love of fashion with incredible in-store experiences and we’ve always ensured that we change and evolve with our customers,” Browns chief executive Holli Rogers said.
“In creating the overall Browns Nomad concept and opening Browns East, we’ve gone back to our roots, with innovation at the heart.”
The store also marks Farfetch’s debut into augmented retail.
Farfetch Store of the Future managing director Sandrine Deveaux said: “In this amazing new retail space, our engineers will work alongside the sales associates to really get to know the Browns East customer, and to see how they are interacting with the products and services.
“Insights will be constantly gathered by our team to adjust the technology. This iterative approach will allow us to shape the connected store retail experience, where we believe technology is there to enhance and to augment the customer experience in subtle, magical ways.”
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