Fun, spontaneous and free!
Joe Browns was founded by Simon Brown in 1998, inspired by a group of friends enjoying a beer in a beach bar called The Ty Coch Inn in Morfa Nefyn, North Wales, at the end of a great day surfing some waves. Fresh out of the sea, salt in their hair, laughing, joking and totally carefree, they were having an absolute blast. That was the essence, right there, of Joe Browns: FUN, SPONTANEOUS and FREE!
Joe Browns started as a lifestyle brand for men, taking influences from all over the world to create unique clothing for those looking for something different and packed with personality. We even sold motorbikes and parachuting days! This was when we created our first ever catalogue. (Simon still keeps this in his top drawer)
With a team of less than 10 people working from a small cottage in Farsley, sales were soon on the rise, so we joined the digital age and launched our first website (you can see how it looked here!). Though – to this day – we still send out a printed catalogue so Joe Browns can be enjoyed by everyone!
With the rising popularity of Joe Browns, we introduced our first-ever women’s range to bring the joy of Joe Browns clothing to everyone. This opened up huge avenues for us, and we joined forces with J.D Williams, Very, Grattan, Littlewoods, Simply Be, Jacamo and Debenhams as wholesale partners to reach more of our wonderful customers. We also scooped the Best Royal Mail Catalogue award!
Our new womenswear range was packed with bold colours, distinctive patterns and striking detailing that soon overtook menswear sales. This was where Joe Browns really took off and we soon found ourselves bursting at the seams in our little cottage office, so we moved to something bigger near Leeds City Centre.
2004 was the year we introduced our feel-good footwear and accessories collection – because our customers were looking for accessories that are just as remarkable as their Joe Browns clothing. After a couple of years getting tech-savvy with the website, we also launched our first ever email campaign and won the Best Royal Mail Catalogue award for the second time!
After a crazy couple of years with sales on the rise and Joe Browns becoming even more popular, we were ecstatic to see we were ranked 53 in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 league table... WOOHOO!
It comes as no surprise that we fast outgrew our offices and moved to an even bigger one – literally up the street. This is where we remain today, along with a brilliant warehouse team, full call centre, five motorbikes, a well-used drum kit and a wall of vinyls. All this space gave us the breathing room to foster some truly unique ideas – so much so that we were ranked 99 in the Sunday Times Profit Track 100 league table! That was big news.
In 2013, we knew where we wanted to take our upcoming collection. Joe Browns needed some faces to match such a remarkable brand, so we scoured the UK’s model agencies and came up with a crazy bunch of fun-loving professionals for our first ever lifestyle photoshoot. This really captured the essence of what our brand is all about.
After years of more success came the time to expand our collections – so in 2014 we introduced swimwear for the first time! We also reinvented our menswear offering which reflected our love of beats, bikes and (surf) boards to bring the collection back to its roots. On top of all that, we also launched a new-and-improved website!
Our growing brand attracted the likes of QVC the shopping channel. We decided to give it a go, and our first launch saw us sell out of everything in just 45 minutes! We also launched our first ever blogger event in London and won the award for Best Ladieswear and Accessories at the Direct Commerce Awards!
Our first flagship store – with an impressive 4,000sq ft – opened in Meadowhall Sheffield! Come and pay us a visit! Our founder Simon Brown also picked up the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the Direct Commerce Awards! Winner winner, chicken dinner!
We said ‘welcome’ to Van Diesel, the Joe Browns-branded van – though some people may have thought ‘Van Halen’ suited the name better... Shortly after, Our Meadowhall store manager was crowned Manager of the Year at the Meadowhall Awards!
In 2019 we were honoured to open our first-ever outlet store in McArthurGlen Designer Outlet in York! Taking a leaf from our flagship store in Meadowhall, we wanted to create an immersive experience in the décor and style of the shop to show people what Joe Browns is all about – even if they’re just stopping for a browse. Stop in for a visit – the York staff are a lovely bunch.
The move to spending more time at home created a new gap in the market for a comfortable yet stylish loungewear range – after all, we could only wear pyjamas day-and-night for so long! Cue the Sloe Joes loungewear collection! A range of remarkable patterns and cosy styles that made everyone’s day a little brighter. These feel-good styles were made for lunging, lounging, and living in and have gone from strength to strength ever since.
Oh, and another thing... our warehouse capacity was extended to 27,000 sq ft!
In 2021, our brand new Boutique collections, brought something truly special to Joe Browns. These specially designed pieces were made for those seeking a more detailed, more special and more distinctive styles but still packed with all the personality they had come to expect from Joe Browns.
After a couple of quiet years keeping the business ticking over from home, we decided to burst out of the box with a new, fresh look. We redesigned our logo to the current one you see today. Don’t worry, we’re still the same Joe you know and love, and our collections are only getting brighter and better.
Peter Alecock joined the Joe Browns business as CEO. With a wealth of knowledge in the retail sector, Pete was perfectly placed to help us with our next stage of growth.
In the busy village of Bowness-on-Windermere, we opened our very first franchise store! Previously the Edge of the World store, owned by Adrian and Julie North, this special franchise outlet is nestled in the heart of the bustling village centre. With a ribbon-cutting ceremony from the Deputy Mayor (kitted out in Joe Browns, of course!) and a fantastic – and very busy – opening day, it was all hands-on deck from start to finish!
Come Back to Visit Us Soon!
What will we get up to next? You never know with this bunch! Keep your eyes peeled to find out more about Joe’s future adventures on this crazy journey we call life. For now, why not shop the latest collection and find the style that makes you feel remarkable?
