Brooks Brothers

Brooks Brothers occupies a deeply divided position in the r/BuyItForLife community: pre-bankruptcy (pre-2020) products are widely praised as genuinely durable, lasting a decade or more, while post-acquisition products under Authentic Brands Group are widely condemned as dramatically inferior. The consensus is that vintage or older Brooks Brothers is worth seeking out, but new Brooks Brothers is largely not worth buying at full price. Thrifting or buying on eBay is the community's most recommended workaround.

Pre-2020 Brooks Brothers — especially sourced secondhand via eBay or thrift stores — remains a legitimate BIFL buy for dress shirts, sweaters, and suits, but new products post-Authentic Brands Group acquisition are broadly considered poor quality and not worth the price.

Older Brooks Brothers products — particularly Oxford button-downs, merino wool sweaters, and suits — are consistently praised for lasting 10–20+ years with regular use. Community members who bought pre-2020 items frequently describe them as genuinely durable and timeless in style.

• Pre-2020 Oxford button-downs worn for 10+ years and still office-appropriate
• Merino wool sweaters showing no pilling or wear after 7+ years
• Made-to-measure suits praised for quality fabric and free lifetime alterations
• No-iron dress shirts consistently cited as convenient and durable
• Vintage pieces widely available and highly recommended via eBay and thrift stores
• Classic, timeless styling means older garments remain wearable decades later

Post-2020 Brooks Brothers, now owned by Authentic Brands Group, is broadly described as a shadow of its former self — with shirts falling apart in months, elbows splitting within a year, and quality comparable to Van Heusen or mall brands. The brand's licensing to JCPenney and similar retailers has further muddied quality consistency.

• Post-bankruptcy shirts reportedly fell apart within months of purchase
• Owned by Authentic Brands Group, which also owns Forever 21 and Aeropostale
• Domestic US factory production entirely discontinued after acquisition
• Outlet line '346' is notably lower quality than retail store offerings
• New products described as junk, Van Heusen knock-offs, or total garbage by longtime customers

One commenter described owning US-made Oxford button-downs they've worn multiple times a month for a decade — still office-appropriate — but noted the brand is now owned by the same company behind Aeropostale and Forever 21.

A longtime customer said they had five new shirts all split at the elbow in under a year, called the company, and discovered this was a widely reported problem — they felt the brand had lost a customer for life.

A used clothing reseller with 15 years of experience handling high-end menswear said that even Brooks Brothers has become junk, and that Ralph Lauren is now the only mainstream brand with any remaining quality resemblance.

One commenter summed up the community view concisely: don't buy Brooks Brothers new in 2024 — vintage is fine, but new is junk.