Brooks Brothers is old.
Founded in 1818, it has dressed presidents, financiers, and generations of American office workers.
For most of that history, a real chunk of its clothing came out of its own American factories.
That is no longer really true.
A company that spent two centuries building a reputation for domestic tailoring shut down its last American factories in 2020.
Since then, ownership has changed hands, manufacturing has shifted, and the brand looks quite different from the one that opened its doors during James Monroe’s presidency.
So let’s get started.
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Where Is Brooks Brothers Made?
Brooks Brothers clothing today is manufactured largely overseas, after the company closed its remaining American factories in the summer of 2020, according to Brooks Brothers and reporting on the closures at the time.
Those factories were located in Long Island City, New York, Garland, North Carolina, and Haverhill, Massachusetts, according to a WARN Act notice and reporting at the time, and had produced suits, sport coats, and trousers for the brand under its Southwick manufacturing arm.
The Haverhill plant alone had been making Brooks Brothers tailored clothing since the 1940s.
Brooks Brothers cited financial pressure from the coronavirus pandemic as the reason for the closures, and the shutdown affected 413 Southwick employees.
Since then, production has moved to a global network of contract manufacturers, similar to most mainstream clothing brands.
Who Owns Brooks Brothers?
Brooks Brothers is owned by Authentic Brands Group, which holds the brand’s intellectual property, while day to day retail operations run through Catalyst Brands.
This ownership traces back to 2020, when Brooks Brothers filed for bankruptcy after the pandemic devastated its retail business.
During that bankruptcy, several parties competed for the brand, including WHP Global, which had submitted a 334 million dollar bid before dropping out of the race.
Authentic Brands Group and Simon Property Group, through a venture called SPARC Group, ultimately won court approval to acquire Brooks Brothers for 325 million dollars in August 2020.
In January 2025, SPARC Group merged with JCPenney to form Catalyst Brands, a new operating company backed by Simon Property Group, Brookfield Corporation, Authentic Brands Group, and Shein, and Brooks Brothers is now run under that Catalyst Brands umbrella alongside brands like Aeropostale, Lucky Brand, and Nautica.
Where Did Brooks Brothers Come From?
Brooks Brothers opened its doors in New York City in 1818, founded by Henry Sands Brooks.
It is widely considered the oldest surviving clothing retailer in the United States.
The company built its name on tailored menswear and became closely associated with American business and political culture over the following two centuries.
That long run came to a legal end of sorts in 2020, when the retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, unable to survive the sales collapse caused by pandemic store closures.
The sale to Authentic Brands Group and Simon Property Group later that year effectively started a new chapter for a very old name.
How Brooks Brothers Sources Manufacturing Today
With its own American factories gone, Brooks Brothers now relies on third party manufacturers spread across multiple countries, a common approach for brands owned by licensing firms like Authentic Brands Group.
Authentic Brands Group has been described by industry observers as a company that owns brand names and licenses out the actual making of products, rather than running factories itself.
That model tends to prioritize flexible, lower cost sourcing over the kind of vertically integrated domestic manufacturing Brooks Brothers once had through Southwick.
Specific current factory locations for Brooks Brothers are not widely published by the company, which is typical for brands using this licensing based ownership structure.
Did Brooks Brothers Ever Claim Made in USA?
Yes, and for a long time that claim was largely accurate for a meaningful portion of its tailored clothing.
The Southwick factories in Massachusetts and elsewhere were a real part of the company’s identity and marketing for decades.
That changed permanently with the 2020 closures.
Massachusetts lawmakers, including Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren and Representative Lori Trahan, publicly called on the incoming owner to try to preserve the Haverhill manufacturing jobs, a request that ultimately did not save the plant.
Today, Brooks Brothers does not manufacture at the scale needed to support a broad made in USA claim.
Brooks Brothers vs Ralph Lauren: Who Makes Each?
Brooks Brothers and Ralph Lauren compete for a similar customer, the buyer looking for classic American style with a tailored edge.
Ralph Lauren still operates some domestic production for premium and limited run collections, including facilities like Apparel Manufacturing Co in Lilburn, Georgia, alongside heavy sourcing from Asia and Europe.
Brooks Brothers, after 2020, has no comparable domestic factory network of its own.
Both brands source significant volume from Asia, but Ralph Lauren has kept a small, visible domestic manufacturing presence that Brooks Brothers no longer has.
What Is Next for Brooks Brothers?
Brooks Brothers has stabilized somewhat since its 2020 bankruptcy, and its January 2025 integration into Catalyst Brands puts it alongside other legacy retail names such as JCPenney, Aeropostale, and Nautica.
There has been no public announcement of a return to domestic manufacturing as of 2026.
Like most apparel brands owned by licensing firms, Brooks Brothers will likely continue adjusting its sourcing mix in response to tariffs and cost pressures affecting the broader industry in 2026.
Shoppers should not expect a meaningful shift back toward American made Brooks Brothers clothing in the near term.
For more brand supply chain breakdowns like this one, see our guides on Gucci and Levi’s.
Frequently Asked Questions About Where Brooks Brothers Is Made
Does Brooks Brothers still make anything in the United States?
Brooks Brothers closed its last American factories in the summer of 2020, including plants in Haverhill, Massachusetts, Long Island City, New York, and Garland, North Carolina.
There is no indication the company has reopened domestic manufacturing since then.
Current Brooks Brothers clothing is sourced from overseas contract manufacturers, consistent with how most brands under Authentic Brands Group operate.
Why did Brooks Brothers close its American factories?
The company cited financial strain from the coronavirus pandemic, which caused a sharp drop in retail sales and ultimately pushed Brooks Brothers into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020.
The Haverhill facility alone had employed 413 people making Southwick tailored clothing for the brand.
Local lawmakers publicly urged the incoming owner to preserve those jobs, but the plant closed anyway.
Who owns Brooks Brothers now?
Brooks Brothers is owned by Authentic Brands Group, which acquired the brand’s intellectual property out of bankruptcy in 2020 for 325 million dollars alongside Simon Property Group.
Retail operations now run through Catalyst Brands, the company formed in January 2025 when SPARC Group merged with JCPenney.
This is a licensing based ownership model similar to how several other legacy American brands are now run.
Is Brooks Brothers still considered an American brand?
Brooks Brothers is still headquartered in the United States and carries a long American history dating back to 1818.
However, its actual manufacturing is no longer domestic, so the American identity today rests more on heritage and design than on where the clothes are physically made.
That distinction matters for shoppers specifically seeking made in USA production.
I am Jack Neel, a mechanical engineer, researcher, and writer. I created this website to share my knowledge about different brands and products with you. I research the manufacturers behind the brands and provide you with the information you need to make smart buying decisions.