Browns

Browns may refer to:

Places

Sports

Other

See also

Browns (fashion boutique)

Browns is an independent fashion boutique based in London, England. It was founded by Joan Burstein and husband Sidney in 1970. The flagship store is on London's South Molton Street.

History

Joan Burstein founded Browns with her late husband, Sidney, in 1970. Initially a small boutique housed on the ground floor at 27 South Molton Street, Browns grew rapidly expanding through five connecting Georgian townhouses. Their daughter Caroline Burstein founded Molton Brown before joining Browns as creative director in 1993. Their son Simon Burstein became CEO.

Known for discovering talents such as John Galliano, Alexander McQueen and Christopher Kane, it also brought designers such as Calvin Klein, Sabine G., Armani, Ralph Lauren and Jil Sander to London. Browns has continued to support both young and established fashion designers.

In 2006, Joan Burstein (known in the fashion industry as Mrs B) received a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to fashion. Sidney Burnstein died in April 2010.

Browns of Chester

Browns is a department store in Chester established in 1780 by Susannah Brown. The store has traded from its current site on Chester's Eastgate Street since 1791. Once regarded as the "Harrods of the North" the building interior contains many ornate features such as glass domed roofs and elaborate plaster work surrounding small chandeliers in the main entrance area. Some of the glass roof on the second floor has been concealed as it has been covered by the construction of the third floor extension containing the main Café and Kalmora Spa. It can still be seen by carefully looking through the suspended ceiling now covering it.

The oldest part of the store is housed in the Grade I listed Crypt Chambers, designed by T. M. Penson incorporating Georgian, Tudor and Gothic facades. Construction was completed in 1858. The building incorporates part of the Chester Rows. On the front of the tower at Row level is a blank scroll, on the east face is a recessed panel containing the initials W. B. (for William Brown), on the west face the initials are C. B. (for Charles Brown) and on the rear face is a scroll inscribed AD 1858: CRYPT CHAMBERS. The Gothic facade frontage is built over a medieval undercroft dating from the twelfth century. The undercroft currently contains The Tea Press tea room. Another extension to the building was completed in 1965 to link Browns to the nearby Grosvenor shopping centre. A new three story extension was built in 2002 on the site formerly occupied by the offices of the Chester Chronicle.