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. , 1845 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. New York state troops were outfitted with Brooks Brothers uniforms during the
American Civil War. 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 (primary editor of the
Oxford English Dictionary from 1879 until his death in 1915) Brooks Brothers were 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. and 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. In 1998, Brooks Brothers launched its official website.
21st century In 2001, Marks & Spencer sold Brooks Brothers to Retail Brand Alliance (RBA), now known as The Brooks Brothers Group, a company privately owned by Italian billionaire
Claudio Del Vecchio (son of
Luxottica founder
Leonardo 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. 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 (such as size "BB 0") and was discontinued in 2015. Brooks Brothers next released a line of clothing catering to Asian clientele. 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. The closures included the flagship Madison Avenue store which never reopened. Its inventory was moved to other locations 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 (down from 424 global locations before the
COVID-19 pandemic). 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==