From Bankruptcy to Billion Dollar Boom at Brooks Brothers

How? By diving into the brand’s archives and bringing it back to its roots. He was determined that when the world opened up again, it would be in a classic Brooks Brothers suit that told a story as old as the brand itself:

“It was a moment of both emotion and probably absolute terror at what happened, what we faced. So I just, I just cracked right away,” says Ohasi wealth.

But with more than 25 years of experience in fashion and retail, he has taken the more than 200-year-old brand to grow sales to nearly $1 billion by the end of 2023.

He was named CEO of Brooks Brothers after the brand was acquired by a joint venture between Authentic Brands Group and Simon Property Group.

Brooks Brothers is an iconic American brand, worn by 41 of the 46 presidents to date, Ohashi points out. Accepting the challenge of a business in terminal decline – his task was to reboot Brooks Brothers for a rapidly changing consumer.

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And here, Ohashi again bet against the trend. Even though it has now been debunked in multiple studies, the “go wake up, go bust” talk, whether in the form of coordinated anti-Pride backlash and now DEI, has been in full swing since he took over the firm.

But under his leadership, the return to the company’s roots meant a deeper look at what the brand means to its customers today.

The first point of call was creating a clearly communicated value system, building a new team and culture. His strategy: Once everyone lives and breathes these new values, it will permeate the entire brand. Ohashi believes in a new era, consumers place value on what brands stand for:

“We are a brand that was the definition of what success looked like in the world. I was with our clients at their first job, promotion, wedding.” So he redefined what success looks like because “what success looks like in America and around the world is very different today.”

His approach to this new vision is to lead by example.

Becoming a parent changed Ohashi’s life. Today, he lives in Brooklyn with his husband, Adam Freed, and their two children, and isn’t shy about being one of the few open-minded CEOs in the market. wealth 500.

She emerged early in her career in the comfort of a diverse fashion brand and “hasn’t looked back since.” He continues this to this day, even in countries where he works where cultures don’t always look kindly on gay people, he’s not afraid to correct people when they make assumptions about his family.

“I remember after I had my boys, I thought to myself, I would never lie about our family structure or who I am in the world because I never want to set that example for them. Our family structure is no less than anyone else’s.”

This emphasis on values, internally and in consumer-facing marketing, is part of what Ohashi sees as part of the brand’s secret sauce. He talks in detail about the value of making work feel like a place where you can fully present yourself, a concept he has also applied to the brand’s products.

It’s a refreshing example that as much as it values ​​its own authenticity, applying that to the overall brand approach is exactly what has brought generations back. None more so than the ever-earning Gen Zers, who, amid a trend toward quiet luxury, look to Brooks Brothers to fulfill their coded minimalist luxury.

In 2023, the brand broke new ground with its Father’s Day ad, featuring two gay dads for the first time in history. Moves like this aren’t just posturing for the sake of posturing, the brand’s revenue speaks for itself – nearly $1 billion by the end of 2023. One thing is clear – when it comes to an iconic brand like Brooks, Ohashi is really redefining what shows success. like today

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