The Theory Of A Suit

As Brooks Brothers celebrates its bicentennial, BRIDES TODAY discusses the brand’s storied past, the future, and what makes it an ideal fit for the contemporary groom.

- Anupriya Roy

Fashion is too often considered a territory for women, with little heed paid to menswear. But if one digs deeper, one finds a plethora of information on the changing facets of men’s clothing, more importantly its front-runners. With an illustrious history of dressing the luminaries of the day, including presidents and military alike, we engage in conversation with Claudio Del Vecchio, chairman and chief executive officer of Brooks Brothers who shares charming anecdotes from the brand’s 200-year-old journey 

BROOKS BROTHERS HAS BEEN A PIONEER IN MENSWEAR TAILORING. CAN WE TRACE THE HISTORY OF THE BRAND? It is a lesser-known fact that Brooks Brothers is America’s oldest retailer. Mr. Henry Sands Brooks opened the first men’s haberdashery H. & D.H. Brooks & Co. (renamed Brooks Brothers in honour of Sands’ four sons) in a small wooden storefront, within blocks of the East River and the site of the future Brooklyn Bridge. During the California Gold Rush, its stalwarts, unable to wait on the whims of their tailors, flocked to Brooks Brothers to purchase the first off-the-rack suits, an innovation patented by Brooks.