‘Most of our next-gen brands had their best season despite the pandemic’

Everyone knows the names of the biggest fashion brands, but who is
it exactly that discovers them and helps them to be commercially
successful? One of those people is menswear buyer Joseph Brunner, who
focuses on next-gen brands at British luxury department store chain
Browns.

FashionUnited spoke with Brunner about how he discovers new brands and
how important their vision of the future is for him. He also reveals
how his own style influences his work and what the spring/summer 2022
season has to offer.

As a next-gen menswear buyer, how has the department grown over
the past few seasons?

There is an abundance of brands in the industry at the moment and
with that comes exciting, emerging designers. Just look at the
graduate shows, season on season, where students have a platform to
create collections with such a raw, unfiltered vision. This is greatly
appealing to customers and retailers alike. Last season, despite the
pandemic, most of our next-gen brands had their best season yet,
further highlighting an increased demand for unique products.

What do you look for in a next-gen brand for them to become
stocked at Browns?

I factor in three things when looking at a new brand. Firstly, if
the Browns customer will like it – in other words, if it will sell.
Secondly, if the brand fits in with the vision of the department. And
lastly, whether or not I like it. The brand can hit one or all three
of the criteria and there are a lot of brands we don’t currently buy
that hit all of them, so do keep an eye out for what we have coming in
next season.

Having a strong attitude as a designer is becoming more and more
important for a brand. Is this also something that you observe and how
do you assess this?

More so a strong vision and understanding of a clear plan than a
strong attitude. I often ask what their 1/3/5 year plan is when
meeting the designers, as it’s important to set goals even if they are
not achieved. Surprisingly, not everyone thinks about this and as
designers are creative, restricting their brand to a set target in
some ways defeats the point of what they’re trying to do. It’s also
imperative they’re good people. I know there are quite a few “iconic”
designers who have unfavourable reputations, but being a decent human
being is as much a reason to buy into a designer.

Do such considerations also play a role when you select talents
for the Browns Focus initiative and how do you discover these
designers?

Absolutely! Before chatting with the designers, we take a lot into
consideration, not just their previous collections. For Browns Focus
especially, It was important the designers and their brand are
standing for something and that it was clear in their collections,
communications and previous work.

London-based womenswear brand Conner Ives is one of these talents
and has already designed a collection for Browns during his studies.
How important is watching graduate shows for you as a buyer?

There’s an added pressure on students now as they are under the
microscope early with shows being so well documented, and there’s a
risk of things moving too quickly before honing one’s craft.
Everyone’s looking for the next big thing, the next McQueen or
Galliano, but it’s hard when all eyes are on you from day one and once
one person hears about a designer, the likelihood most stores will
have it is quite high. The graduates are very much the future of our
creative industries, so it’s important to tune in and feel inspired
because the shows are as much an expression of art as fashion.

From fashion shows to Tiktok, what’s your favourite way to
discover new trends?

For me, it would be Instagram. I’m trying not to use my phone that
often, but so much information is on the app that nowadays it’s often
the first medium to discover new things, so when you’re off it, you
get this feeling that you’re missing vital information on industry
updates.

Which brand do you consider to be your latest discovery?

We launched Marie Lueder and Tsau Store for Browns Focus. Two
relatively unknown designers who are still developing their craft but
have a lot of potential, Marie has such a unique take on things, from
incorporating mental health and tech into her clothing. And Bevan, the
designer of Tsau, is so well rounded, his referencing for the
collection was nothing like I’d ever seen before. Other brands we’ve
recently picked up and worth keeping an eye on are Namesake and Arnar
Mar Jonson.

Which brand’s collection has inspired your personal style recently?

Great question. I’m a big fan of Kiko Kostadinov. I love the
construction that goes into the jackets and trousers, very different
to anything else. The general look of a cropped jacket and wide-leg
trouser is very much my uniform. So I usually buy into a version of it
each season if there’s something to my taste. I also think Stefan
Cooke’s approach to gender-neutral collections hits the mark and they
continue to get better. And lastly, I thought Namacheko’s AW21
collection was incredible.

How would you describe your own style and in what way does it
influence your work?

I’d like to think my style is off beat to others, not unique but
less commercial. I’m all about larger silhouettes down bottom and
tighter fits uptop. So big trousers with structure, don’t think of
unflattering boot cuts but instead of Paria Farzaneh, Marni,
Jacquemus, Kiko Kostadinov to name a few. That paired with more fitted
knits from the likes of Prada, Stefan Cooke and Namacheko. But as I’m
getting older, I’m really drawn to the more mature styles from these
brands as well as Bode. My tastes don’t usually impact my work as 95
percent of the time I am curating a selection for the Browns customer.
Only on a handful of collections does your style come into play a bit
more as the edit is as important as the sales.

Gen Z are very confident in their style and showing it off online.
How do you see post-Covid trend predictions like the return of the
Roaring Twenties in relation to this generation?

Hype. All they want are whatever footballers, musicians,
influencers, etcetera, are wearing. In some ways, it’s great that this
generation experiments and embraces fashion in a completely new way,
they understand it’s important to look good from a young age. However,
due to influencer culture and marketing ploys, there’s a lack of style
individuality. If you walk around central London everyone’s dressed
the same, highlighting the influencer age we live in.

What is your must-have for the SS22 season?

As we’re only just starting SS22, it’s hard to say as I haven’t
seen much of the young designers yet. So far, I’m having a bit of a
love affair with fashion polo shirts at the moment, preferably
something knitted and a little bit out there. We’ve seen a few brands
over the last couple of seasons bring great styles to the table, such
as Maison Margiela’s oversized collar polo, Casablanca’s AW21 pearl
polo and Namacheko’s jacquard AW21 polo.

This interview was conducted in writing.