Customers are after garments that last and are versatile in where and how they can where it. That is where Joe Browns’ 28 years of consistency and experience come in, providing garments that their customers can enjoy wearing for years to come.
Footwear & Fashion Today speaks with Will Brown about what’s new for the brand, and got a little sneak peek at what they’re bringing to the Footwear & Fashion Live show in August!
The roots of the Joe Browns brand started over 25 years ago – born from the idea of freedom, spontaneity, fun and no rules. The family-run business was originally a mail order business for menswear, but the brand soon opened up to womenswear garments in the early 2000s and then homewares later on. Will Brown is the Head of Partnerships for Joe Browns and tells Footwear & Fashion Today that 2026 has been “one of the biggest years” in the brand’s recent history…
While including size ranges up to a size 24 in womenswear, the brand has also developed its petite range as Mr Brown adds that “one size fits all” has never been its philosophy, and that the brand would rather adapt than force people to compromise.
Q&A
Q: Tell us more about Joe Browns and how the brand came to be?
Will Brown: The whole thing started back in 1998 quite literally with a beer on a beach! Our Founder, Simon Brown, was in a beachside pub when his attention was drawn to a group of friends, fresh out of the sea, laughing, joking and totally carefree; he thought ‘if I could bottle that energy, that fun, and that spontaneity – that would be the most incredible foundation for a brand’ – and that’s how Joe Browns came to be!
We’ve adapted and changed the business over the years, but what’s never changed is the instinct that got us started: clothes should make you feel good! We don’t claim to be trend-setters – that’s not really our bag – what we do is create garments that never fail to evoke positive compliments, and it’s usually the small details and finishing touches that people notice first.
Nearly three decades on, we’re still a family-run business, we still design with personality first, and we’ve still got that same spirit and same energy, just a lot more people wearing it now.
Q: What’s new for the brand right now?
WB: 2026 has been one of the biggest years in our recent history, and the headline is size inclusivity. We’ve extended our womenswear offer up to a UK size 24, a genuinely significant step for us, not a token gesture, and the reaction from customers has been brilliant.
Alongside that, we’ve grown our petite range, because ‘one size fits all’ has never been our philosophy – we’d rather create more options than force people to compromise. And through all of that expansion, the non-negotiable has stayed the same: remarkable design at a price that feels fair. Growing the size range without increasing the price tag or diluting the detail that people have come to expect from us, has been both a challenge and an achievement we’re proud of in 2026.
Q: Tell us about your core product ranges and some of your newer collections?
WB: Dresses are the backbone of our collection. They are undoubtedly the category that our customers reach for 365 days a year; an easy-to-wear printed midi you can throw on with pumps for the school run or a lunch date, or dress up with boots and a leather jacket for evening plans, right through to our occasion dresses for those special dates that call for something truly remarkable.
Come the colder months, of which there are plenty in the UK, our jackets and coats steal the show. Expect statement linings, considered trims, unique embroidery and small touches that make a coat feel like a stylish treat to yourself rather than simply a necessity. Beyond that, we’ve built out a full wardrobe: skirts, trousers, tops, denim with a difference, jumpsuits, knitwear, swimwear and all the finishing pieces; jewellery, scarves, bags – everything you need to complete a look!
Q: What will visitors be able to see from Joe Browns at the August Footwear & Fashion Live show?
WB: We honestly can’t wait to exhibit at Footwear & Fashion Live, and we’re so excited that we’ve joined up. We’ll be previewing our Spring/Summer 2027 fashion and footwear, the full collection for delivery in January 2027. And for anyone looking for immediate stock, we’ll also be able to show you Autumn/Winter 2026.
I’ll be there myself along with my colleague Cassie, our Footwear Buyer, and both of us will be on hand to chat, alongside a selection of our sales agents.
Q: How do you engage with your consumers via your retail partners and other channels?
WB: We’re an omni-channel brand, but we genuinely love our retail stores! There’s something a website can’t replicate about a customer walking into a store, seeing a collection in real life, noticing the details and trying something on. That personal touch, someone helping them find an item for a particular event, or matching a jacket to a dress they already own – in-person shopping builds a different kind of loyalty.
We work hard to make sure that feeling carries through wherever a customer meets us, whether that’s in one of our own stores, through a wholesale partner’s shop floor, on a concession, or calling through to our customer care line.
Q: How are you finding the fashion sector in general at the moment? Is it tough appealing to new consumers in the current climate?
WB: It is a genuinely tough climate out there. What we’re seeing very clearly is that customers have less time for things that don’t earn their place in their wardrobe. A garment needs to last, needs to work in more than one way – dressed up, dressed down, day into evening – and it needs that little bit of extra detail that makes the wearer feel good every time they put it on.
That’s where 28 years of consistency has worked in our favour. We’re not chasing trends season to season so we’re not caught out when a trend passes. If you have Joe Browns in your wardrobe it’s in there for the long-run!
Q: What are your aims and objectives for the rest of 2026?
WB: At the heart of it, our core aim never really changes – we want our customers to feel remarkable whenever they wear Joe Browns. We don’t believe that wearing great clothes and feeling good should be limited to special occasions!
So that means we are continuing to strengthen our size and fit offer so we can continue to reach as many people as possible, and for me personally, I want to continue building on our wholesale and retail partnerships so more customers can experience the Joe Browns effect.
