Browns was established in London in 1970, beginning humbly as a small boutique housed on the ground floor of 27 South Molton Street, created by Joan Burstein and her husband Sidney. However, Browns soon began to grow and rapidly became one of London's most important fashion destinations, due in no small part to Joan's talent for spotting the next big thing. The boutique grew quickly, and expanded into five connecting town houses, where number 23 became an exclusive store for men.
Joan is credited with discovering such talents as Alexander McQueen, Hussein Chalayan and many more. After a chance meeting between Joan and Calvin Klein at Studio 54, Browns secured the UK launch of Calvin Klein at Browns. She also kick started the careers of fashion giants Jil Sander, Dries van Noten and Comme des Garcons by helping them to launch their collections in store.
Joan says that her talent is nothing more than a hunch: "It just happens... It's a gut feeling."
Today, Browns is one of London's most valued fashion landmarks, and continues to offer individually handpicked pieces from the world’s top designers, earning it a faithful following of those who want individuality and quality.
Since the first fledgling boutique opened, Browns have launched many more ranges. Browns Bride launched in 2004 and Browns Shoes was opened in 2009. Browns Focus now inhabits a store across the street, which caters to a more sophisticated cutting edge market.