Brooks Brothers
Brooks Brothers Inc. is a luxury American clothing brand founded in 1818 which is the oldest apparel brand in continuous operation in the United States. Originally a family business, as of 2025 it is owned by Catalyst Brands, along with JCPenney, Aéropostale, Eddie Bauer, Lucky Brand Jeans, and Nautica.
Brooks Brothers imports clothing for men, women and children, and licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear, Interparfums for fragrances, and Turko Textiles for its home collection.
History
Founding and 19th century
On April 7, 1818, at the age of 45, Henry Sands Brooks opened H. & D. H. Brooks & Co. on the northeast corner of Catherine St and Cherry St in Manhattan. He proclaimed that his guiding principle was, "To make and deal only in merchandise of the finest body, to sell it at a fair profit, and to deal with people who seek and appreciate such merchandise." In 1833, his four sons, Elisha, Daniel, Edward, and John, inherited the family business and in 1850 renamed the company "Brooks Brothers."The Golden Fleece symbol was adopted as the company's trademark in 1850. A wooly sheep suspended in a ribbon had long been a symbol of British woolen merchants. Dating from the fifteenth century, the image had been the emblem of the Knights of the Golden Fleece, founded by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy.
In its early history, Brooks Brothers was known for introducing the ready-to-wear suit to American customers. In the mid-nineteenth century, Brooks Brothers outfitted United States President Abraham Lincoln and considered him a loyal customer. At his second inauguration, Lincoln wore a coat specially crafted for him by Brooks Brothers. Hand-stitched into the coat's lining was a design featuring an eagle and the inscription, "One Country, One Destiny". He was wearing the coat and a Brooks Brothers suit when he was assassinated. As a supplier of soldiers' uniforms during the Civil War, Brooks Brothers became a target of outrage for its allegedly shoddy production. With a contract from New York State to supply uniforms for the New York Volunteers, Brooks Brothers took shredded and sometimes decaying rags, glued them together and stitched them into uniforms. They would fall apart in the rain and were the subject of ridicule from other regiments.
According to James Murray Brook Brothers were allegedly responsible for bringing "shoddy" into American usage.
20th century
The last member of the Brooks family to head the company was Winthrop Holley Brooks, who ran the company from 1935 until its sale in 1946, when the company was acquired by Julius Garfinckel & Co. Although Winthrop Brooks remained with the company as a figurehead after the acquisition, John C. Wood became the director of Brooks Brothers. Just prior to that, Wood had been the carrier of the papers for the Dumbarton Oaks Conference. Under the leadership of Wood, Brooks Brothers became even more traditional. Wood notably stated "They call us conservative, but we think that our styles are simply lacking the bizarre. We deal in what a man should wear, not what some women think he should wear." In 1915 the company opened what would become its flagship store and headquarters at 346 Madison Avenue in New York.During much of the 20th Century, a subsidiary of Brooks Brothers, the Brooks Costume Company, provided costumes to the Ringling Bros - Barnum & Bailey Circus.
By 1971, eleven Brooks Brothers stores were in operation and located in Manhattan, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and St. Louis as an integral part of the retail conglomerate Garfinckel, Brooks Brothers, Miller & Rhoads, Inc., that held the company until 1981 when it was acquired by Allied Stores.
Ralph Lauren began his career as a salesman at the Brooks Brothers Madison Avenue store. Brooks Brothers later sued Polo Ralph Lauren to retain its rights to the original polo button-down collar shirt.
Brooks Brothers was acquired by the British firm Marks & Spencer in 1988. In the mid 1990s, the company's executives removed the signature Golden Fleece logo from the brand's cotton knit polo shirts, though it was later restored.
In 1998, Brooks Brothers launched its official website.
21st century
In 2001, Marks & Spencer sold Brooks Brothers to Retail Brand Alliance, now known as The Brooks Brothers Group, a company privately owned by Italian billionaire Claudio Del Vecchio. Along with Brooks Brothers, RBA comprised Carolee, a designer of jewelry for department stores and specialty stores. In 2007, RBA sold its high-end women's brand Adrienne Vittadini.File:Brooks Bros 11 E44 jeh.jpg|thumb|left|Brooks Brothers at 7 East 44th Street in Manhattan
In September 2007, Brooks Brothers's then CEO, Claudio Del Vecchio, announced the unveiling of a high-end collection of men's and women's wear named Black Fleece. Del Vecchio announced that the first star guest designer for the new collection would be New York menswear designer Thom Browne. Black Fleece received so much critical and commercial success that Brooks Brothers opened a stand-alone Black Fleece boutique on Bleecker Street in the Winter of 2008. However the line used a confusing sizing range and was discontinued in 2015. Brooks Brothers next released a line of clothing catering to Asian clientele.
File:BrooksBrothersBevHills.jpg|thumb|Brooks Brothers store on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California
In 2008, the company began an extensive renovation of its flagship store at 346 Madison Avenue. In January 2009, Brooks Brothers closed a smaller location at Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street in Manhattan.
In April 2010, Brooks Brothers launched a line of luxury home furnishings which includes bedding, bath towels, as well as living room décor and entertaining accessories.
As of 2015, there were 210 Brooks Brothers stores in the United States and 70 in other countries, including Australia, India, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, China, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Chile, Canada, Panama, Italy, the Philippines, Poland, Mexico, UAE, Peru, Singapore, Switzerland, Indonesia, Malaysia, Greece, and Vietnam. Most of its clothing was imported, but some suits, sport coats, shirts and accessories were manufactured in the United States. Many of its mid-range "1818" line of suits were manufactured at Brooks Brothers' Southwick plant in Haverhill, Massachusetts. All Brooks Brothers necktie silk was woven in England or Italy, and the ties were still are "cut and piled" at the Brooks Brothers' tie factory in Long Island City, New York. Brooks also had a series of books on etiquette and manners for ladies and gentlemen. The Garland Shirt Company produced the Brooks Brothers' iconic twill button-down oxford. Its higher-end label was the Golden Fleece line which features suits that are tailored in the United States.
Between 2017 and 2019, sales stagnated at around $1 billion due to business fashion turning more casual and online competition. In May 2020, it was reported that Brooks Brothers was seeking a buyer. Reports also suggest the company was exploring a bankruptcy filing. In June, the company proposed closing its three American factories, "a dramatic move for a brand that has really hung their hat on 'Made in America.'" Del Vecchio, who was responsible for acquiring the factory in Massachusetts, said at the time that the U.S. factories never made any money and that the brand carried a debt of less than $300 million.
On July 8, 2020, it was reported the company was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy primarily due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Brooks Brothers planned to close 51 of its 250 locations in North America. The closures included the flagship Madison Avenue store which never reopened. Its inventory was moved to other locations and the building was listed for sale the following year.
In September 2020 Brooks Brothers was purchased by a joint venture between Authentic Brands Group and Simon Property Group. The new owners committed to continue operating at least 125 Brooks Brothers retail locations in the US, and more worldwide. The transaction was completed in September 2020. Ken Ohashi was also appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer in September 2020.
On December 1, 2020, designer Michael Bastian was named as the brand's creative director. In late 2023 a new affordable line was introduced, "B by Brooks Brothers", and sold through Macy's.
On 24 April 2024, Ted Baker Canada, the operator of Brooks Brothers stores in Canada, filed for creditor protection in Canada and Chapter 15 bankruptcy in the U.S. The company blamed the operation suppliers of Authentic Brands Group for failure to pay. As a result, it was announced that all Brooks Brothers stores in Canada would close.
In May 2025, Brooks Brothers opened a new flagship store in the Lower Manhattan neighborhood where the first store opened in 1818 at Catherine and Cherry Streets. The new 10,000 square-foot, 2-story flagship store at 195 Broadway features historical Brooks Brothers pieces such as the glasses worn by founder Henry Sands Brooks and a recreation of the coat Abraham Lincoln wore at his inauguration.
Innovations
Brooks Brothers introduced many clothing advances to the American market throughout its history as a leader in the American menswear industry.- Brooks Brothers largely created the ready-to-wear clothing market, beginning in 1849.
- In 1896, John E. Brooks, the grandson of Henry Sands Brooks, applied button-down collars to dress shirts after having seen them on English polo players.
- English foulard ties were introduced by Francis G. Lloyd in the 1890s before he was made president of the corporation.
- The American "sack suit", which became a staple of the Ivy League style, was introduced by Brooks Brothers in 1895.
- Brooks Brothers popularized pink as a color for men's dress shirts, suggesting it be worn with charcoal-gray suits.
- Shetland sweater, introduced in 1904
- Harris Tweed, introduced to the fashion marketplace in 1909
- Polo coat about 1910
- Madras, introduced from India via Brooks Brothers to the public in 1902
- Argyles socks: in 1957, Brooks Brothers became the first American retailer to manufacture the article for men
- Light-weight summer suits: the first lightweight summer suits made of cotton corduroy and seersucker were introduced by Brooks during the early 1930s
- Wash-and-wear shirts: in 1953, the store pioneered the manufacture of wash-and-wear shirts using a blend of Dacron, polyester, and cotton that was invented by Ruth R. Benerito, which they called "Brooksweave"
- Non-iron 100% cotton dress shirt, 1998