by LONDON – The Browns Fall 2023 trend results are in.
Ida Petersson, director of purchasing, and Heather Gramston, head of menswear and womenswear, at the British fashion retailer, presented the picks for the season Browns will shop at a presentation held at Claridge’s Hotel on Tuesday.
In January, it was revealed that Elizabeth von der Goltz will join the executive team at Browns parent company Farfetch, where she will become chief fashion and merchandising officer of Farfetch and chief executive officer of Browns.
“We strive to be viewed as directional and curious in our choices by our shoppers at our partnerships and in how we approach our experiences both in-store and online,” von der Goltz said in a statement regarding the fall season.
Before the showcase began, Petersson acknowledged the current economic climate and the actions Browns has taken in its buying strategy, which is to protect younger and existing brands, focus on sustainability and continue to expand its purchasing luxury, which turned out to be winners from the retailer’s fourth-quarter results last year.
“We continue to really make sure we’re building on our talented people of color and I think that’s something that the industry has been a little quiet about,” said Petersson, who has returned to the African, South American and Asian markets since the pandemic.
Prada fall 2023
Giovanni Giannoni/WWD
Prada’s men’s and women’s show was the standout show for Browns. “It’s the season where they came in full force,” Petersson said, praising the outerwear, shoes, and minimal designs for both gender categories.
Daniel Lee’s debut from Burberry was compiled alongside Bottega Veneta, Ferragamo, Khaite, Miu Miu, Loewe, JW Anderson, Sinead O’Dwyer, Mowalola, Labrum, Gucci, Feben, Rick Owens, Alaïa and Versace as the moments that the Browns team loved.
Lee’s men’s designs were admired for their unexpected “rave feel” factor.
“Matthieu Blazy continues to redefine craftsmanship as the pinnacle of luxury. We especially like his unexpected use of leather,” Gramston said of the designer’s work at Bottega Veneta.
Browns’ three big trends that dominated buying decisions were ‘Luxurious Minimalism’, ‘To Extremes’ and ‘Soft to Touch’.
The former touched on elegant and luxurious staples that included 16Arlington, Fendi, Dries Van Noten, Nensi Dojaka, Trove, Jil Sander, Lanvin, Brioni and Bianca Saunders.
Behind the scenes of Dries Van Noten Fall 2023.
Delphine Achard/WWD
The other two focused on the amount of large shapes seen on the runways, from Gucci’s oversized coats to Prada’s pointed collar shirts. Meanwhile, shearling textures from Chloé, Nahmias, Dion Lee, Celine and Andreadamo proved popular.
“There’s definitely a distinct departure from the platforms of the last couple of seasons and it’s very much about minimal pumps, single soles and flats like Alaïa’s, which have been sellouts for the year so far,” Gramston said of the footwear. turn at the Browns.
Another big move in customer behavior was the response to men’s jewelry, which claimed that the clientele was more adventurous than women’s. The top brands in the category were Spinelli x Hoorsenbuhs, La Californienne, Statement Paris, Tabayer, Marie Lichtenberg and Kamushki.
For Fall 2023, Browns is adding new brands to its portfolio, including The Row; Harris Reed’s Nina Ricci; the first collection dedicated to women by Bode; Maccapani; SAR; Patou; Noah; aural; Roa and Crystals of the Advisory Board.
Crenshaw Skate Club will be exclusive to the retailer and elsewhere shop collaborations between Nahmias x Kodak Black and Zegna x The Elder Statesman.
At the end of the presentation, Petersson praised the design talent from Shanghai and Seoul.
