How Brooks Brothers Dressed American Presidents for Two Hundred Years
Brooks Brothers was founded in 1818 by Henry Sands Brooks on the corner of Cherry and Catherine Streets in lower Manhattan, making it the oldest clothier in continuous operation in the United States. From its earliest days, the firm catered to New York's mercantile elite, offering ready-made and bespoke clothing of a quality that rivalled the best of London's Savile Row.
The company's innovation in American men's fashion is difficult to overstate. Brooks Brothers introduced the button-down collar oxford shirt in the 1890s, inspired by polo players in England. It popularised the sack suit with its natural, unpadded shoulder. It brought madras, seersucker, and Shetland wool into the American mainstream. Each innovation became a permanent fixture of the American wardrobe (https://www.brooksbrothers.com).
At least forty-one American presidents have worn Brooks Brothers, from Abraham Lincoln, who was wearing a Brooks Brothers coat the night of his assassination at Ford's Theatre in 1865, to more recent occupants of the Oval Office. The firm dressed Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama, and many others, making it the de facto outfitter of the American presidency.
The Ivy League aesthetic that Brooks Brothers codified in the mid-twentieth century became America's most enduring contribution to global menswear. The combination of natural-shoulder blazer, button-down oxford, regimental tie, chinos, and penny loafers constituted a visual shorthand for American ease and privilege that was adopted from Tokyo to Milan.
Brooks Brothers filed for bankruptcy in 2020, a casualty of changing consumer habits and the pandemic's acceleration of casual dress. The brand was acquired by Authentic Brands Group and Simon Property Group, and its future trajectory remains uncertain. Purists mourn the decline in made-in-America production, while new management seeks to balance heritage with commercial viability.
The firm's flagship store at 346 Madison Avenue remains a New York institution. Its wood-panelled interior, stocked with oxford shirts, rep ties, and navy blazers, is a shrine to a specific vision of American masculinity: restrained, collegial, and quietly confident.
For the man building an American wardrobe foundation, Brooks Brothers still offers essential pieces: the button-down oxford in white and blue, the number-one repp tie, and the navy blazer. These are not fashion items but permanent fixtures. They have dressed presidents and will outlast trends, provided the company can honour the legacy that made it indispensable.
