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Brooks Brothers continues to work on expanding into women’s clothing.
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At the ripe old age of 33, fashion designer Zac Posen has been named the new creative director for Brooks Brothers’ women’s collection and accessories. The Men’s clothing company is looking for ways to expand its recently added women’s clothing line.
In a statement, Claudio Del Vecchio, Chairman and CEO of Brooks Brothers said, “We are thrilled to have Zac join us as Creative Director of our Women’s Collection. He is one of the most talented and influential American designers working today. As soon as we met, it was clear to us that he had a true understanding of our brand and its storied 196 year heritage as well as the creativity to modernize our offerings within the category.”
Posen said that he was “truly honored and excited to be embarking on this incredible opportunity to take the Brooks Brothers women’s brand into the future while respecting its deep, rich American heritage as an institutional company.”
But Posen is known more for his European style of design as have been worn on the red carpet at awards shows by celebrities such as Sarah Silverman, Glen Close, Dita Von Teese, Karen Elson and Greta Gerwig. The two hundred year old Brooks Brothers, which specializes in American styled conservative men’s clothing is expected to utilize Posen’s talents as a creative director and not as a designer. The company is also looking to expand its women’s apparel business which today only accounts for 20% of its sales.
As Claudio Del Vecchio explained, “We want to better ourselves and have another point of view. He’s someone we trust and admire for what he does, and he can add to what we’re already doing.”
Expected to be made available worldwide, Posen’s first women’s collection for Brooks Brothers will debut in spring 2016.
Zac Posen grew up in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood and began his career in fashion design when, as a young boy, he would steal knit yarmulkes (Jewish skull caps) from his synagogue and used the material from them to make dresses for dolls.
His education in fashion began when Posen was only 16 and he enrolled in a pre-college program at Parsons The New School for Design. Richard Martin, the curator of The Costume Institute of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, once personally mentored him and at the age of 18 Posen was accepted into the women’s wear degree program at London’s Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design at the University of the Arts London.
The designer’s breakthrough in the world of high fashion came in 2000 when a dress that he created for super model Naomi Campbell was so popular that other models also wore it. Posen has designed evening wear for Michelle Obama, Gwyneth Paltrow and Naomi Watts.
Headquartered on Madison Avenue in Manhattan, Brooks Brothers was founded in 1818 as a family business and is the oldest men’s clothing firm in America. The privately held company has been owned by Retail Brand Alliance since 2001.
Today there are more than 200 Brooks Brothers retail outlets in the US and 70 around the world in countries like, India, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, China, Dubai, France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, Mexico, and Greece.
Famed fashion designer Ralph Lauren began his career as a salesman at the Brooks Brothers flagship store on Madison Avenue in New York.
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