Browns Conscious launch sees deep dive into sustainable fashion

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Oct 9, 2019

Luxury retailer Browns launched its Conscious category on Wednesday with the Farfetch-owned store and webstore unveiling four exclusive capsules and the first in a series of documentaries.

Its Conscious Edit is a continuously-growing offering of brands and products “that have been created with the future of our planet in mind,” the company said, adding: “We’re championing designers that are forward thinking and investing in brands that fit with our conscious values and encouraging others to do the same.”

This month’s exclusive capsules from “sustainable pioneers” include Bode, By Walid and Ahluwalia Studio adding to an extensive list of products that are now labelled on-site with the ‘conscious’ tag. Products qualify for the tag after being rated favourably by ethical fashion products ratings website Good On You, or through being made with materials or certifications “widely recognised as aligning with our conscious values,” Browns said.

As mentioned, the firm is unveiling the first in a series of documentaries that “spotlight some of the most progressive voices in the fashion conversation” with episode one built around Dutch designer and LVMH nominee Duran Lantink.”

In collaboration with the retailer’s buying team, Duran visited the Browns warehouse to curate a selection of previous season styles that he reworked into a completely new collection of 45 pieces spanning men’s and womenswear and made exclusively for the store. 

The collection will launch online on October 10, alongside an installation at Browns East. 

Episode two, set to launch in 2020, will feature NYC next-generation talent Collina Strada, while the third in the series will explore Browns’ collaboration with The Bear Scouts, an organisation that links up the different parts of the supply chain to ensure that products are produced in a sustainable and ethical way. 

Next year, the company will unveil further Conscious initiatives while also marking its 50th anniversary in the year it moves from its long-term home on South Molton Street into its new Brook Street flagship.

Ida Petersson, Buying Director of Menswear and Womenswear said: “We know we have a long way to go. However, over the past two years, we have been actively looking at ways to do better and offer our customers the choice to shop more consciously and this is happening across the business. As a buying team, we have been seeking new designers to showcase as well as actively working with the current roster of Browns brands to be much more transparent. 

“Together with the guidance of the Farfetch in-house sustainability team and their partnership with external agency Good on You, we are taking tangible steps to offer brands guidance so they too can become more conscious in their approach to fashion. In addition to this, our pioneering approach has seen us explore unique retail propositions by partnering with innovative marketplaces such as Stadium Goods and our ongoing collaboration with rental business Armarium to look at the lifecycle of a garment and allow our customers the opportunity to combine fashion history with a sustainable future.”