Luxurious Minimalism, Extreme Silhouettes, Soft Textures Are Big at Browns Fashion for Fall 2023
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LONDON — The fall 2023 Browns trend results are in.
Ida Petersson, buying director, and Heather Gramston, head of men’s and womenswear, at the British fashion retailer presented the picks for the season that Browns will be buying into at a presentation held Tuesday at Claridge’s Hotel.
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In January, it was revealed that Elizabeth von der Goltz would join the executive team at Browns’ parent Farfetch, where she will become chief fashion and merchandising officer at Farfetch and chief executive officer of Browns.
“We endeavor to be considered directional and curious in our choices from our buyers to our collaborations, and the way we approach both our in-store and online experiences,” said von der Goltz in a statement regarding the fall season.
Before the showcase started, Petersson acknowledged the current economic climate and the actions that Browns has taken in its buying strategy, which is to protect younger and existing brands, focusing on sustainability as well as continuing to expand its luxury buying, which proved successful from the retailer’s fourth-quarter results last year.
“We continue to really make sure that we build on our people of color talent and I think it’s something that the industry has been a bit quiet on,” said Petersson, who has returned to the African, South American and Asian markets after the pandemic.
Prada’s men’s and women’s show was the standout show for Browns. “It’s the season where they fully came along,” said Petersson, praising the outerwear, shoes and minimal design for both gender categories.
Daniel Lee’s debut at Burberry was compiled next to 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 feeling” factor.
“Matthieu Blazy continues to redefine craft as the pinnacle of luxury. We particularly enjoy his unexpected use of leather,” said Gramston of the designer’s work at Bottega Veneta.
The big three trends at Browns that dominated buying decisions were “Luxurious Minimalism,” “To Extremes,” and “Soft to Touch.”
The first touched upon sleek luxurious basics that included 16Arlington, Fendi, Dries Van Noten, Nensi Dojaka, Trove, Jil Sander, Lanvin, Brioni and Bianca Saunders.
The other two homed in on the amount of big shapes seen on the runways, from Gucci’s oversized coats to the pointed shirt collars from Prada. Meanwhile, shearling textures at Chloé, Nahmias, Dion Lee, Celine and Andreadamo proved to be popular.
“There’s definitely a marked shift away from the platforms of the past couple of seasons and it’s much more about minimal pumps, single soles and ballerinas like the Alaïa ones, which have been the sellout of the year so far,” said Gramston about the footwear shift at Browns.
Another big move in customer behavior has been the response to men’s fine jewelry, which said the clientele was more adventurous than the women’s. The highlight brands in the category have been 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 dedicated women’s collection from Bode; Maccapani; HRH; Patou; Noah; Auralee; Roa, and Advisory Board Crystals.
Crenshaw Skate Club will be exclusive to the retailer and elsewhere it will be buying into collaborations between Nahmias x Kodak Black and Zegna x The Elder Statesman.
At the end of the presentation, Petersson lauded the design talent coming out of Shanghai and Seoul.
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