1818: The First Store
On April 7, 1818, at the age of 45, Henry Sands Brooks opens H. & D.H. Brooks & Co. On the Northeast corner of Catherine and Cherry Streets in New York City, his childhood home. As "Makers and Merchants in One", the firm assumes absolute control over its offerings, ensuring customers the highest level of quality.
1833: The Brothers
Henry Sands Brooks calls on his sons to assist with his burgeoning business. His eldest son, Henry, Jr. takes the helm upon his father's passing later that year. He remains in charge until 1850, when younger brothers Daniel, John, Elisha, and Edward, assume leadership and change the firm's name to Brooks Brothers.
1849: Ready-Made suits
"The first to embark on that which is now a leading commercial pursuit", wrote the editors of Carroll's 1859 New York City Directory of Brooks Brothers' introduction of Ready-Made clothing.
1851: The Logo Name
The Golden Fleece symbol is adopted as the company's trademark. The logo, a sheep suspended in a ribbon, had served as a symbol of fine wool since Philip The Good chose the emblem for his Order of the Golden Fleece. Later, wool merchants in Europe adopted the symbol as a way of advertising woolen wares to the public, and the Brookses, who wanted to associate their shop with the European sartorial tradition, did the same.
1865: Abraham Lincoln
On the occasion of his second inauguration, Brooks Brothers gives loyal customer Abraham Lincoln a great coat with an intricately embroidered lining bearing an eagle and the inscription, "One Country, One Destiny".
1896: The Original Button-Down Polo Shirt
At a polo match in England, John E. Brooks, grandson of the founder, noticed something peculiar about the players' collars: they were buttoned down so as to prevent their flapping in the wind. John brought his discovery back to Brooks Brothers, and thus was born the Button-Down shirt, a Brooks Brothers classic and what some called "the most imitated item in fashion history".
1902: The Rep Tie
Brooks Brothers reverses the direction of the stripes on their Repp Ties. This act of fashion rebellion gave birth to a new style icon.
1949: For the Ladies
Brooks Brothers debuts the pink oxford, fashioned after the already iconic Original Polo Button-down but redesigned to fit a female form.
1979: Women Find a home at Brooks Brothers
Through an "apartment" inside the company's store at Broadway and Bond Street location back in 1874 had been dedicated to the sale of women's clothing, it wasn't until the mid-seventies that the company launched its first full-scale women's department.
1998: A Wrinkle-Free Miracle
Brooks Brothers launches the Brooksease Shirt, billed as the ultimate travel shirt. The shirt represents the first 100% cotton non-iron shirt.
2018: Our 200th Anniversary
Through constant innovation, adaptation and style disruption over the centuries, Brooks Brothers achieves a milestone not held by any other American retail brand: 200 years in business.
2022: A New Level
Brooks Brothers opens its first store in Rome together with its new redisgned site, bringing the high american style to the next level.