Joan Burstein

In the world of fashion retail it’s fair to say that Joan Burstein reigns supreme. Known affectionately in the industry as Mrs B, she is responsible for the stellar careers of some of the world’s hottest designers, two must-visit London stores and the well appointed wardrobes of a swathe of fashion glitterati.

Mrs Burstein has been married to her husband Sidney since 1946 and over the years they have built their fashion empire from the humble beginnings of his East End market stall selling underwear. In the Sixties the pair opened the Feathers designer boutique on High Street Kensington, which fast became a destination for the capital’s fashion-forward shoppers, and was also where - as legend has it - Manolo Blahnik worked as a shop boy in the jeans department.

In 1970, the Bursteins turned their attention to South Molton Street where they opened the now legendary boutique Browns (named after Sir William Piggott-Brown from whom they bought the shop). In a time when there were almost no designer stores in London, Mrs B and her impeccable eye for style offered the labels that couldn’t be found anywhere else in the city – you can thank her for bringing the likes of Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Jil Sander, Comme des Garcons, Giorgio Armani, Donna Karan and Sonia Rykiel to the attention of the British shoppers over the years. She loves to discover a new designer – she snapped up John Galliano’s graduate collection and displayed it in the Browns window, and has always championed home-grown talent like Alexander McQueen and Hussein Chalayan, as well as sourcing new names from hidden corners of the globe. And all her hard work has not gone unnoticed: as well as being the toast of the international fashion scene she was awarded a CBE in 2006, the same year she celebrated her 80th birthday.

Today the super-stylish Browns umbrella encompasses the main store, which stocks high-end designers, Browns Focus, which carries up-and-coming names and cutting edge labels, and Browns Brides as well as a sister store on Sloane Street and a Browns For Less shop. In addition the online store, www.brownsfashion.com allows you to wile away your lunch hour (and bank balance) shopping for the latest designer pieces at your desk. A hotly anticipated shoe store is set to be added to the family in the near future and Mrs B is, of course, still heavily involved with the business and can be spotted perfectly polished and elegantly dressed sitting front row at the international collections. She has also enlisted the rest of the family to help, most notably her daughter Caroline (who co-founded Molton Brown) and son Simon (who use to be married to Sonia Rykiel’s daughter, Nathalie). Next time you’re happily browsing the rails of everyone’s favourite London shopping destination, remember it’s all thanks to the legendry Mrs B.

By Emma Sells