Best autumn dresses and jackets from Joe Browns AW24 fashion shoot at York, Newby Hall and other Yorkshire locations

“We’re all straight-forward Yorkshire folk - and, after all, who doesn’t love God's Own Country?” says Joe Browns head of Creative, Rich Olsen. “We always find amazing backdrops to create beautiful imagery that really makes the garments shine – and that’s what it’s all about.”

Locations for the new autumn/winter 2024 womenswear and menswear collections include:

– York city centre – “Its stunning architecture and varied backdrops made it perfect to keep switching things up between collections,” says Rich;

- the Himalayan Garden & Sculpture Park, near Ripon - “A hidden gem. This was such a serene setting, and a beautiful backdrop for some of our stunning autumnal dresses.”;

- Santiago Bar in Leeds - Rich says: “The perfect shoot location and hangout for our music-inspired menswear and our womenswear pieces with a punk edge”;

- Newby Hall – “We’ve shot here before, and aside from it being a clearly breathtaking location, the people at Newby Hall are so accommodating”;

- the Race the Waves event in Bridlington in June – “We returned for a second year. The cars and bikes offer the perfect surroundings for our more rocked-up styles and biker-influenced menswear.”

Jane Reik, Joe Browns buying director, says the brand is returning to its roots with its autumn ranges. “This latest collection is more remarkable and differentiated than ever – we talk about ‘it shows when it’s Joe’s’, and it really does this season.”

Joe Browns was founded in 1998 by Leeds-born Simon Brown, who, at 19, saved £800 and bought a one-way ticket to New York, and jobbed his way around the world, building railways in Winnipeg, plastering houses in Vancouver, working on boats in Hawaii, and in a wool store in New Zealand.

He returned home aged 21 and joined his family’s Bramley-based clothing business, HE and FJ Brown, where he worked for 17 years. He hit upon the idea for Joe Browns after watching a group of carefree young surfers on holiday in Wales.

Joe Browns first sold menswear, then womenswear from 2002, and homewares from 2019. The company moved to its Holbeck HQ in 2010. Around 170 people work there now, and this is where the warehousing happens, as well as all the designing, marketing strategy, admin, digital operations and ideas-crunching.

From the start, Simon wanted to ensure that every product was interesting, intriguing and inspiring - the big three Is that still underpin every Joe Browns design. Jane says the AW24 collections are packed with special pieces that will become wardrobe go-tos.

“Our new womenswear is a fantastic mix of modern boho, an ode to vintage and bold, playful kitsch. So, whether you feel most yourself in a flowing maxi with a beautiful print, a retro-inspired tea dress, or you’re looking for stand-out suiting with extra-special details, our latest offering has it all, with Joe Browns unmistakeable handwriting,” she says.

“Our menswear is as authentic as ever, with a real focus on music, motors and general mayhem. The brand identity is in every stitch of the collection, from statement shirts featuring everything from skulls to bold florals, through to classic military shapes, heritage classics and rugged styling.”

Tracey Hepton, marketing manager, explains that the shoot locations were found by senior marketing executive Elizabeth Hall, who hits the road to see for herself backdrops that might best showcase the brand’s distinctive garments.

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“Key to the process, and an outcome that excites everyone, is working closely with our buying teams to understand the thinking behind the development of each collection, so we can pair it perfectly with a destination,” says Tracey. “We have such a wide range of products that finding a multitude of locations to fit the bill can often be a huge task, but Elizabeth manages it every single time – often without leaving our home county, beautiful Yorkshire.

Yorkshire male model Glen Campbell returns for the AW24 menswear shoot. Tracey says: “We like to switch up our models every so often, but not having Glen in the mix during our spring/summer campaign caused outrage among our loyal fans, who voiced their disappointment on our social channels. We always like to listen to our audience, so Glen is back for autumn/winter.”

Joe Browns launches two new homeware themes on September 5, and the team thinks these are its best yet. “Get ready for remarkable, reversible bedding - all hand-painted exclusive artwork, delectable dinnerware and eclectic home décor,” says Tracey.

Home and fashion are closely related, and also have to be interesting, intriguing and inspiring - Simon’s three Is again. All the designs reflect the brand’s Modern Vintage and Modern Boho inspirations, inspired by the past, not trend-driven, although trends are considered and given their own Joe Browns twist, with an eye always on value for money.

Which leads us back to the fashion shoots, with their wonderfully Yorkshire twist. Richard and the team are always keen that they take place in their home country, where possible. He says: “The only time we’ve been known to struggle is when we’ve tried to shoot our spring/summer campaign in November. It’s hard to make anything look summery when there’s no break in the rain – that’s when we get our passports out.”

Joe Browns new collections are available at the stores at Meadowhall Sheffield, York Designer Outlet, White Rose Leeds and at Bowness, and at joebrowns.co.uk, and online at Next, Simply Be, JD Williams, Freemans and more.