Brooks Brothers launched a brand campaign called Make It Yours on Wednesday, 4 March 2026, aimed at presenting its classic pieces, especially tailored suits and button-down oxford shirts, to a new generation of customers. The campaign runs across social media, digital, online video and outdoor advertising, Marketing Dive and Retail Dive reported.
The photographs are by Coliena Rentmeester. The cast spans generations and fields: the actor Leslie Bibb, the comedian Alex Edelman, and the fashion figures Nick Wooster, TyLynn Nguyen, Nick Arrington and Bethann Hardison. In 15- and 30-second videos, they wear the clothes and talk about what the brand means to them.
Who made it
The work was led by Marisa Thalberg, chief customer and marketing officer of Brooks Brothers' parent Catalyst Brands, with Carl Byrd, senior vice president of creative services, and Michael Bastian, the Brooks Brothers creative director. FleishmanHillard and H&S Communications handled public relations.
“This is not a transformation of the brand. This is a storytelling transformation.”
Marisa Thalberg, chief customer and marketing officer, Catalyst Brands
Heritage for a younger customer
Thalberg said the team had first assumed that the brand's traditional style mainly appealed to older shoppers, and concluded that was wrong. The trends described as quiet luxury and new preppy have brought that kind of clothing back into fashion, and she described the brand's appeal as a matter of sensibility rather than age. Brooks Brothers was founded in 1818 and is described by Marketing Dive as the oldest apparel brand in continuous operation in the United States; the publication also credits it with introducing the button-down oxford shirt 125 years ago.
The campaign also targets affluent women, who make up about 30% of the customer base but show very high purchase intent, according to Thalberg. The women's business has grown for five consecutive years. Thalberg oversees marketing for every Catalyst brand and said each keeps its own strategy.
Make It Yours at a glance
- Launch
- 4 March 2026
- Channels
- Social, digital, online video and out-of-home
- Photographer
- Coliena Rentmeester
- Products featured
- Tailored suits and button-down oxford shirts
- Target
- Younger shoppers and affluent women
What it means for tailoring
The campaign puts suits and oxford shirts at the front of the brand's marketing and presents them to younger customers as a personal choice rather than a uniform. Brooks Brothers chief executive Ken Ohashi later told FashionUnited that the average customer age had fallen by about five years. For readers starting a tailored wardrobe, our guides to how to wear a suit and shirt collars, including the button-down, cover the basics.
