Brooks Brothers trivia | 40 facts about the fashion brand

Brooks Brothers is a famous fashion brand, that has clothes for men, women, and kids.

As from 8th of July in 2020, the brand officially bankrupted. How many things do we actually know about it though? Here we are, in order to give you some information about it!

1. Brooks Brothers are the oldest men’s clothier in the U.S.A.
2. It’s headquartered on Madison Avenue in Manhattan, New York City.
3. It was founded in 1818.
4. It was as a family business.
5. On April 7, 1818, at the age of 45, Henry Sands Brooks opened H. & D. H. Brooks & Co. on the northeast corner of Catherine and Cherry streets in Manhattan.
6. In 1833, his four sons, Elisha, Daniel, Edward, and John, inherited the family business and in 1850 renamed the company “Brooks Brothers.”
7. In its early history, Brooks Brothers were known for introducing the ready-to-wear suit to American customers.
8. In the mid-nineteenth century, Brooks Brothers outfitted United States President Abraham Lincoln.
9. Abraham Lincoln was considered a loyal customer.
10. At his second inauguration, Abraham Lincoln wore a coat specially crafted for him by Brooks Brothers.
11. During the cotton boom of the early 19th century, Brooks Brothers manufactured clothing using cotton harvested by slaves, and in turn, sold clothing that was then worn by slaves.
12. Brooks Brothers have outfitted 41 of the 45 American Presidents.
13. President Theodore Roosevelt was fond of Brooks Brothers’ clothes; he even ordered his dress uniform for the Spanish–American War at Brooks Brothers.
14. Many more presidents, including Herbert Hoover, Chester Arthur, Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama were known to wear Brooks Brothers clothing lines.
15. Franklin Roosevelt wore a Brooks Brothers collared cape and fedora at the Yalta Conference in 1945.
16. The last member of the Brooks family to head the company was Winthrop Holly Brooks.
17. He ran the company from 1935 until its sale in 1946.
18. Then the company was acquired by Julius Garfinckel & Co.
19. Although Winthrop Brooks remained with the company as a figurehead, after the acquisition, John C. Wood became the director of Brooks Brothers.
20. Just prior to that, Wood had been the carrier of the papers for the Dumbarton Oaks Conference.
21. Under the leadership of Wood, Brooks Brothers became even more traditional.
22. 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.
23. They were 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.
24. Brooks Brothers were acquired by the British firm, Marks & Spencer, in 1988.
25. In the mid-1990s, the company’s executives removed the signature Golden Fleece logo from the brand’s cotton knit polo shirts.
26. In 2001, Marks & Spencer sold Brooks Brothers to Retail Brand Alliance (“RBA”).
27. It is currently known as The Brooks Brothers Group.
28. It’s a company privately owned by Italian billionaire Claudio del Vecchio.
29. He’s the son of Luxottica founder Leonardo del Vecchio).
30. Along with Brooks Brothers, RBA comprises Carolee, a designer of jewelry for department stores and specialty stores.
31. In 2007, RBA sold its high-end women’s brand Adrienne Vittadini.
32. As of 2015, there were 210 Brooks Brothers stores in the United States and 70 in other countries.
33. The other countries were 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,^[22] Indonesia, Malaysia, Greece, and Vietnam.
34. Many of its mid-range “1818” line of suits are manufactured at Brooks Brothers’ Southwick plant in Haverhill, Massachusetts.
35. The brand also produces clothing for women and kids
36. Zac Posen has been its creative director since June 2014.
37. Sales were stagnant between 2017 and 2019, sales stagnated around $1 billion due to business fashion turning more casual and online competition
38. In May 2020, it was reported that Brooks Brothers is seeking a buyer.
39. Even though it was mentioned that the company is exploring a bankruptcy filing, there was nothing officially said yet.
40. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July 2020, squeezed by the global COVID-19 pandemic, and shift towards casual office attire.