Browns launches "Conscious" edit and sustainable fashion documentary series
Browns has launched the Conscious edit, which will be an ever-growing selection of brands and products that have been created with "the future of our planet in mind".
To kick of the launch, the trailblazing luxury boutique, will launch exclusive capsule collections from sustainable pioneers including Bode, By Walid and Ahluwalia Studio, which add to and extensive list of products shoppers can find labelled on-site with the “conscious” tag.
Products featured in the Conscious edit have either been rated favourably by ethical fashion products ratings site Good On You or are made with materials or certifications widely recognised as aligning with the Farfetch-owned retailer's conscious values.
Launching as part of Conscious is the first in a series of documentaries by Browns, which spotlight some of the most progressive voices in the fashion conversation with episode one focused on Dutch designer and LVMH Prize nominee Duran Lantink.
Duran Lantink for Browns
Lantink visited the Browns warehouse to curate a selection of previous season styles that he then reworked into a completely new collection of 45-pieces spanning men’s and women’s and made exclusively for Browns. "These bespoke pieces breathe a second life into previously unused items and address an ongoing concern within the retail model – how to manage deadstock," Browns said.
The collection launched online today alongside an installation at its East London outpost Browns East. Episode two, set to launch in 2020, will feature NYC next generation talent Collina Strada while the third will explore Browns’ collaborationwith The Bear Scouts, an organisation that links up the different parts of the supply chain to ensure that the products produced are in a sustainable and ethical way.
Duran Lantink for Browns
From artist collaborations to designer collections, Browns has enlisted the help of sustainable fashion expert and founding partner of the Bear Scouts Dio Kurazawa, and his team's know-how, to ensure the Browns special projects launch calendar is designed and produced with a conscious approach in mind.
Browns buying director of womenswear and menswear Ida Peterson 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 inhouse 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 life-cycle of a garment and allow our customers the opportunity to combine fashion history with a sustainable future.”
The Browns Conscious journey:
October 2017 – Browns East opens in Shoreditch and has eco-credentials including repurposed floorboards from the BBC.
January 2018 – Browns hosts installation and exclusive sustainable capsule with British-Iraqi designer Walid Damirji of By Walid at Browns East.
February 2018 – Browns partners with Central Saint Martins student Conner Ives on a capsule collection of upcycled jersey styles which become instant sell-outs.
April 2018 – An installation of repurposed Burberry trenches is on display at Browns East.
June 2018 – Browns announces an ongoing partnership with luxury rental business Armarium which disrupts the sale cycle and looks at the extended lifecycle of the garment. The partnership culminates with a dedicated two-week shop-in-shop at Browns, South Molton Street and then a series of pop-ups in the US including the Hamptons.
July 2018 – Sustainable fashion favourite Reformation arrives on London shores with an exclusive capsule for Browns.
January 2019 – Hyped NYC brand Bode launches across menswear with an exclusive capsule of one-of-a-kind styles.
April 2019 – Ida Petersson, Buying Director menswear and womenswear reveals the sustainable message to womenswear editors during the season trends presentation while CEO, Holli Rogers attends the Fashion Tech Forum in NYC and discusses sustainability alongside Trisha Gregory, CEO and founder of Armarium.
May 2019 – Browns announces partnership with luxury streetwear and sneaker marketplace Stadium Goods to highlight the circular economy and all the routes streetwear aficionados go to source the hottest product. This also marks the release of an exclusive capsule with London based, clothsurgeon.
May 2019 – One Vintage launches at Browns with a 100-piece capsule of upcycled styles.
June 2019 – Browns operations team reveals “green stance” with a series of green options for London based customers including a fleet of Browns electric bikes and an electric van in operation to bring your purchases right to your door – minus the emissions.
July 2019 – Browns eco-packaging launches giving customers the option of conscious packaging at checkout. All paper and cardboard packaging is now made from FSC approved sources and our dust bags and suit carriers are made entirely from recycled materials.
August 2019 – Women’s active launches with an edit of sustainable products including Girlfriend Collective.September 2019 – Browns launches the Conscious edit and ‘conscious’ tags online and in-store – doing thework for our customer by partnering with Farfetch and external partner ‘Good on You’ an organisation dedicatedto being the world’s leading source for ethical fashion brand ratings.
October 2019 – Browns highlights its conscious category with a month-long celebration of sustainability which includes the launch of a capsule with Duran Lantink and the first in a series of documentaries celebrating designers and people who are championing conscious fashion.
