London's Browns links with Fred Segal for international debut

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Sep 3, 2018

Farfetch’s luxury London store Browns has opened its doors for the first time internationally with a semi-permanent retail space inside the one-year-old Fred Segal flagship on Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles. Dubbed Browns loves Fred Segal, it opened on Saturday and runs for eight weeks. 

It’s a strong partnership with both retailers having been pioneers in their respective cities, as well as being known for nurturing new talent. 

The companies said: “There is an undeniable synergy between the brands and their clients. In today's retail climate where customer behaviour is constantly changing, the Browns augmented retail approach alongside Fred Segal's experiential take on the physical space delivers a new notion of the shared community, evolving with the needs of the customer.”

The UK retailer opened its new Browns East in Shoreditch last October and it was the first incarnation of the Browns Nomad concept that is being continued with the Fred Segal link-up.

Browns Nomad is a take on semi-permanent, roaming retail concepts globally and is described as “a 21st century response to the pop-up model and reinventing the retail experience by creating unique concepts that are tailored to the city and neighbourhood within which they live, all with the distinctive Browns DNA at the heart.”

Taking cues from Browns East, Brinkworth was appointed to lead the design of the next instalment of Nomad. Housed in Fred Segal's revolving pop-up area, the environment has been treated “as a completely flexible space with all components designed to showcase the curated Browns edit while being entirely mobile.”

Temporary fixtures and furniture have been created from recycled materials while “juxtapositions of deconstructed fittings, finishes and colours nod to the Browns East space, playing on the high-low aesthetic.”

Rails made from heavy-duty trolleys and industrial shelving are used to display the men's and women's product, spanning ready-to-wear, footwear and bags, “merchandised with Browns’ gender-fluid approach in mind.”

The collab launches with 60 brands including a number of  exclusive capsules such as pieces from British designer and Central St Martins student, Conner Ives, as well as new season styles from Ambush, Edward Crutchley, Martine Rose, Molly Goddard and Wales Bonner.

And after a partnership with BeBox for the launch of Browns East, founder Chris Connors has also created a “multi-dimensional sonic journey" developed specifically for the new space. The experience, which is housed in a secluded corner overlooking Sunset Boulevard, is designed as a “retreat and will guide clients deeper into the power and beauty of the present moment.” Thoir - which means 'Eastern' in Gaelic - is a 15-minute guided meditation “created as a fusion between the depth of Celtic wisdom and the expansiveness of modern neuro-sonic soundscapes.”

Browns CEO Holli Rogers said of the latest venture: “After the launch of Browns East we felt it was time for our first international venture. Having connected with John Frierson at Fred Segal, we instantly clicked and it became apparent that we had a shared view on the future of retail as well as a mutual love for our clients. The synergy between what they are doing both locally and globally aligned with our Browns Nomad concept and we couldn't think of a better partner for Nomad 2.0. 

“Browns has an incredible heritage particularly in London and we see that mirrored with Fred Segal in Los Angeles, both flying the flag for a wave of talent who now lead the fashion pack.”

Fred Segal President Frierson added that the Fred Segal loves Browns link-up is the most ambitious partnership it has presented at its new flagship store, adding that “working in partnership has always been the key to our success, and this project with Browns is taking that business approach to a much bigger global audience. This will be a big moment for the LA stylist and fashion community to tap into the latest curated collections of British and European designers right in our own backyard.”