SIOBHAN RYAN

Community ambassador at Browns East, Club Row

SIOBHAN RYAN (PICTURED RIGHT), 26, almost studied fashion but instead opted for history at King’s College, London, reasoning, ‘I won’t sit and do history on my own at home, but I would always do fashion on the side.’ Post-graduation, fashion quickly became the main event. She worked as a retail manager at Selfridges, then as community ambassador at Browns East, where she personifies the brand of this thinking-person’s boutique. Ryan thinks she’s lost her Mancunian accent ‘quite a bit’ since moving to London eight years ago, but her propensity for the phrase ‘have a chat’ remains. Despite her weighty job title (‘I know, it’s cool, right?’), her typical day involves chatting to Browns East’s most loyal and stylish customers over coffee or even sushi. Which NewGen designer to invest in next is only part of the conversation (though Ryan recommends Supriya Lele, ‘for her understated minimalism, which is very sexy’). Browns East houses an immersive space upstairs with everything from a Pet Palace (a shop for your pet, obviously) to a Breathpod, plus installations in its entryway including a conceptual garden. Ryan is always up for the unexpected; one of her less-glamorous jobs has been to water the plants. ‘That was a nice change,’ she says gamely. Browns East is located just off London’s trendy Redchurch Street but, thanks to Ryan’s friendliness and northern hospitality, the shop avoids being intimidating. She is tasked with welcoming everyone from tourists to designers and fashion collectors into the Browns family. But don’t mistake her for a meet-and-greeter: Ryan is in constant contact with the brand’s most valuable customers, as well as the creative leads at head office. This means texting clients ahead of their favourite items coming online and feeding back just how well the in-store Peggy Gou DJ set went (‘People really loved that one,’ she says). Her ability to keep even the loftiest conversations down to earth is the real reason many of the store’s most fashionable customers continue to pop by.