Brooks Brothers Timeline

1818: Henry Sands Brooks opens H. & D.H. Brooks & Co. in New York City.

1833:
Henry Sands Brooks taps his sons to help with his business. Henry Jr., the eldest, takes the helm when his father dies later that year.

1849:
H. & D.H. Brooks & Co. introduces ready-made clothing to help pioneers of the California Gold Rush who were unable to wait on a tailor.

1850:
Younger brothers Daniel, John, Elisha and Edward assume leadership from Henry Jr., and change the firm’s name to Brooks Brothers. They also adopt The Golden Fleece symbol as the company’s trademark.

1863: Riots break out in New York City as a result of the Civil War draft and because Brooks Broth- ers was known for providing Union uniforms, rioters beginto gather around the store. The night after the attack, as the riots continue, Francis G. Lloyd, a 12-year-old boy, guards the store. Forty years later, Lloyd become<a href=s the first person outside of the family to lead Brooks Brothers." width="787" height="438" />

1865: Brooks Brothers outfits Abraham Lincoln, <a href=a loyal customer, with a coat to wear to his second inauguration. This is the same coat he is wearing when he is assassinated at Ford’s Theatre two weeks later." width="386" height="557" />

1865:
Once the Civil War is over, Brooks Brothers renews its commitment to sourcing English and Scottish saxonies, flannels and worsteds.

1896: John E. Brooks, the grandson of the founder, goes to a polo match in England and notices that the players’ collars are buttoned down to prevent flap- ping in the wind. John brings his discovery back to Brooks Brothers and this leads to the button-down shirt, which some have called “the most im- itated item in fashion history.”

1903: To grow its business, Brooks Brothers enlists road men to orchestrate trunk shows in cit- ies across the U.S. Being a road man, who act as a merchant, allocator, customer service rep and a salesman, becomes a prerequisite for working within the company.

1909:
Brooks Brothers opens a seasonal branch in Newport, R.I., to cater to those who can’t make the trip to New York.

1915:
After Grand Central Terminal is completed, Brooks Brothers relocates to 346 Madison Avenue, its present flagship location.

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1917:
Brooks Brothers supplies troops with uniforms and supplies for the First World War.

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1929:
From the Great Crash through the Great Depression, Brooks Brothers is able to extend credit to those in need, and every account is settled in full eventually.

1946: Brooks Brothers opens a tailored clothing factory in Brooklyn and one on Fair Street in Paterson, N.J., to manufac- ture men’s shirts.

1946:
Winthrop Holley Brooks sells the company his great-great grandfather founded 128 years earlier to Washington, D. C.-based Julius Garfinckel and Company. John C. Wood is installed as the company’s president and remains so for over 20 years. The company operated within a retail conglomerate named Garfinckel, Brooks Brothers, Miller & Rhoads Inc.

1949:
Brooks Brothers introduces a pink shirt just for women that is featured in Vogue.

1976: Brooks Brothers launches its first full-scale women’s department.

1979: Brooks Brothers opens itsfirst Japanese flagship in Aoyama, Tokyo.

1981:
Allied Stores purchases Garfinckel, Brooks Brothers, Miller & Rhoads Inc.

1988:
Robert Campeau, a Canadian real estate developer, purchases Allied and sells Brooks Brothers to the U.K. retailer Marks & Spencer, beginning more than a decade of struggles for the famed American retailer.

1998:
Brooks Brothers launches the Brooksease Shirt, which it calls the ultimate travel shirt. It’s the first 100 percent cotton, non-iron shirt.

1998:
Brooks Brothers launches brooksbrothers.com.

2001:
In 2001, Brooks Brothers finds a white knight when Italian billionaire businessman Claudio Del Vecchio — son of Luxottica founder Leonardo Del Vecchio and chief executive officer of Retail Brand Alliance — buys the retailer from M&S for $225 million.

2007:
Brooks Brothers partners with Thom Browne to launch Black Fleece by Brooks Brothers, a more fashion-forward take on the brand’s traditional line.

2009: <a href=President Obama wears a Brooks Brothers topcoat and scarf as heÕs sworn in as president." width="529" height="759" />

The retailer shutters the Black Fleece line and parts ways with Thom Browne.

2016: Brooks Brothers tapsZac Posen to be creative director of women’s clothing and accessories.

2017: President Donald Trump wears a Brooks Brothers navy overcoat to his inaugural ceremony.

2018:
Brooks Brothers celebrates its 200th anniversary.