A mere hop and a skip down South Molten Street is Browns Focus, the younger, sassier little sister to the long established Browns boutique. With a reputation for picking up the hottest new designers, if you’re stocked in Browns Focus, you know you’re definitely heading towards the big time. Fiona Anderson investigates this exciting emporium.
All about exciting innovative fashion, Browns Focus attracts a great crowd of customers and admirers. The staff are definitely used to fashionistas and fashion fans drifting in through the doors, ogling the clothes and begging for a job.
Keeping well out of the way, I take a step back and stare at the dark, glossy interior, with a wooden, sweeping central staircase and sleek, reflective ceiling, allowing the delicious smell of style to wash over me in a warm, fuzzy haze. My eyes dart across the rails of carefully hung pieces and tightly locked glass cabinets, lit up and lined with golden jewels, perspex necklaces and edgy accessories. Every piece is perfectly hung, pressed and arranged, as Alexander Wang, Felder Felder and Acne sit happily alongside Vauxhall Fashion Scout’s David Koma and Hermione de Paula, and iconic pieces like Mark Fast’s knitted, stretchy dresses are topped with neat little tags showing the garment on the catwalk.
Moving downstairs is a much lighter affair, as white, lit up walls and plenty of denim, leather and killer heels fill the bijous space. Carefully chosen pieces from Hermione de Paula’s gorgeous collection instantly catch my eye, with mauve and violet tie dyed leggings and loose, floral separates. ‘Hermione has done very, very well’, sales assistant, Lisa, tells me. ‘The floral tunic we had? Completely sold out. She fits in very well with our aesthetic’.
The aesthetic of this shop is an interesting one. Whilst oozing pure, unapologetic luxe, the designers are emerging, still developing their brands and still carving their path in the industry, making this boutique a haven for edgy, directional fashion. ‘We get a lot of fashion students in here. They look at the store and think, ‘This is where I could be one day’.
An exquisite collection of pieces, expertly selected by Jemma Dyas, and beautifully displayed, this boutique has a genuinely exciting mix of directional designers with smart and chic, finished off with a knowledgeable and helpful sales team. Just enough for a fledgling label collector, I know where I’ll be heading when my next pay check arrives.