Two brands that stand out in the menswear fashion market are the Brooks Brothers and Ralph Lauren brand. Few men today don’t have a shirt from these two brands. Therefore, this comparison seeks to compare both brands in terms of pricing, sizing, quality, and many more to give you a detailed view of what both brands offer you. So, on that note, let’s get right into it.
Brooks Brothers vs Ralph Lauren – Brooks Brothers Origin
Most would argue that Brooks Brothers is one of the oldest and most popular American clothing companies still available today. This menswear brand was originally a family business and started producing clothes for children, men, and women. Brooks Brothers also delved into the home furnishings market. This brand was created in 1818 by Harry Brooks and was first spotted on the Northeast corner of Catherine and Cherry Streets in Manhattan. The guiding principle of Henry Brooks for his business was to make and deal in only clothing of the finest quality while selling at a fair profit. His goal was also to market to people who would appreciate such merchandise.
After decades of keeping to his goal, he passed the company on to his sons, and the name became Brooks Brothers. This company was the first to start making ready-to-wear clothing in 1849. The year after, they adopted their famous Golden Fleece logo. This fashion brand was popular for many reasons. One of them was that one of their customers in the mid-19th century was Abraham Lincoln. The company has been through many designers over the years, including Zac Person. He was the creative director from 2014 to 2020 before handing over to Michael Bastian, who remains the brand’s creative director.
Brooks Brothers vs Ralph Lauren – Ralph Lauren Origin
Like Brooks Brothers in this Brooks Brothers vs Ralph Lauren comparison, this brand is an American high-end fashion company. They produce a vast collection of fashion items in the mid-range and luxury categories. Ralph Lauren started in 1967 and was founded by Ralph Lauren. He was an American fashion designer that built one of the most popular fashion empires. One of the ways he achieved this was by simply developing his fashion brand around the image of an elite American lifestyle.
Ralph Lauren is famous for producing, marketing, and distributing various home, apparel, fragrance, and accessories products. Some of their brands include the Chaps brand, which offers mid-range products, the sub-premium Ralph Lauren brand, Ralph Lauren Childrenswear, Club Monaco brand, premium Polo Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection brand, Denim and Supply Ralph Lauren, Double RL, and the full Luxury Ralph Lauren Purple Label. Records show that the Ralph Lauren company manages four lifestyle brands and 17 fashion brands. They also have over 500 stores in 30 countries across the world.
Brook Bothers Design and Style
Two centuries later, we cannot deny the defining role the Brooks Brothers played in shaping style and American menswear as we know it today. Most classic stapled fashion pieces show the timeless and famed Brooks Brother Style. This is quite different from modern men’s fashion pieces that only offer you the must-have looks of the classic options but with a contemporary touch. Brooks Brothers men’s collection features accessories and clothing options for casual and formal occasions. You can also find apparel options that are semi-casual or semi-formal. In addition, this fashion brand offers premium clothing accessories, shoes, and every other essential a man needs before they step out for either work, pleasure, or even travel.
The brand is most famous for its black suit and oxford shirts. However, their tuxedo shirts are also high on the list of must-haves from this brand. In line with their original goals, Brooks Brothers make apparel options affordable, accessible, and wearable for the general public.
Ralph Lauren Product Lines and Designs
The Ralph Lauren Group offers many products. However, you can find them under each fashion brand managed by the company. Let’s take a look at the top options available.
Polo Ralph Lauren
This is the first menswear line created by the Ralph Lauren Group. It offers sportswear, polo shirts, and tailored outfits. Polo Ralph Lauren was launched in 1968 and is the oldest brand by the group. It remains the leading brand in the luxury casual and sportswear market. Today, Polo Ralph Lauren also offers hats, globes, belts, handbags, leather goods, and even eyewear.
Ralph Lauren Purple Label and Ralph Lauren Collection
The Ralph Lauren Collection was the highest-end brand owned by the company in 1971. It is a timeless brand that offers sophisticated women’s clothing. Their product line ranges from tailored blazers to evening gowns and luxury sportswear. Ralph Lauren’s collection comes with a high price point. Therefore, the brand’s focus is the fashion-conscious and elite lady.
On the other hand, the Ralph Lauren Purple Label is exclusively for men and offers suits. They make custom-tailored sportswear and suits for men. You can also find footwear and made-to-order luggage, furnishings, and accessories in their product line.
Polo Sport
This brand started in 1992 and featured a line of activewear for fitness and sport. Under this brand, the Ralph Lauren Group debuted the PoloTech Shirt in 2014. This shirt comes with smart fabric technology that efficiently captures the biometrics from the wearer.
Lauren Ralph Lauren
This fashion brand had two categories. Lauren for Women started in 1996 and offered activewear, denim, sportswear, dresses, footwear, and various accessories at a lower price. On the other hand, Lauren for men featured tailored clothing like topcoats, sports coats, dress pants, ties, suits, dress shirts, tuxedos, and many more. These apparel options were available at a cheaper price point. Although the pricing was higher than Chaps, it was lower than Polo Ralph Lauren.
This brand focuses on people who love exclusivity, fine living, quality, style, and prestige. This fashion company continues to adapt to its people’s changing tastes and cultural obsessions. In this category, it differs from Brooks Brothers in this Brook Brothers vs Ralph Lauren comparison. With a balance of simplicity and class, consumers could easily express their personality with clothing from Ralph Lauren.
Brooks Brothers Quality
When it comes to quality, Brooks Brothers stands at the front. Their men’s clothing selection shows their heritage and reflects the premier outfitter of an American. The Brooks Brothers only utilize the finest material and craftsmanship when creating menswear. The goal is to create outfits that can impress and are built to last. The brand is not just famous for its quality but also for its conservative and classic look.
Most manufacturing of this brand’s products takes place in the United States. They use high-quality fabric like 100% wool or cotton. Although they grow most of the materials used in manufacturing clothes in America, they also import from places like Italy. Before releasing a shirt to the public, Brooks Brothers treat them to resist wrinkles and puckering at the seams.
Brooks Brothers vs Ralph Lauren – Ralph Lauren Quality
This fashion brand is synonymous with top-quality American apparel. They started by making rags into ties creating a literal rags-to-riches story for the brand. By combining excellent craftsmanship, American heritage, an eye for details across every channel, and high levels of quality in creating a distinct brand, Ralph Lauren can create a spectacular identity that stands out in the competitive and changing world of fashion. The brand utilizes cotton mesh when creating its polo. This ensures its breathability, which is available because of the space between the fibers.
Additionally, many people consider Ralph Lauren Purple Label the brand’s cream. This fashion label offers top-quality men’s tailoring and classy women’s clothing and accessory. This fashion group also offers cheaper fashion items in department stores from brands like Chaps and Ralph by Ralph Lauren.
Brooks Brothers vs Ralph Lauren – The Comparison
There are many categories where Brooks Brothers and Ralph Lauren differ. Below, we will explore them to provide a detailed comparison of the two fashion brands.
Brooks Brothers vs Ralph Lauren – Assortment
When it comes to offerings, the two brands are pretty similar. Most of their offerings are shirts, although they also offer accessories and outerwear. However, with many Ralph Lauren Fashion Group labels, the brand has more offerings than Brooks Brothers.
Brooks Brothers vs Ralph Lauren – Pricing
Ralph Lauren is a luxury brand offering apparel options for the elite class. The brand also provides clothes in their cheaper brands with similar pricing to Brooks Brothers. Most Brook Brothers and Polo Ralph Lauren shirts are within the range of $100 – $300. Brook Brothers are also famous for running sales, especially for US holidays like Labor Day. So you can always get their clothing at an affordable price if you wait for the holidays.
Brooks Brothers vs Ralph Lauren – Product Replenishment Rate
The salient difference between both brands is their replenishment rate. With the different fashion labels under Ralph Lauren Group, determining which brand has a higher replenishment rate can be difficult. Ralph Lauren is famous for replenishing its products seasonally. This brings new trends into the market and gives them a reason to present outfits on a global scale with their unique runway shows. On the other hand, Brooks Brothers restock products once they dwindle on the aisle. You can view this in some of their best-sellers like shirts, socks, bags, pocket squares, boxer briefs, and many more, which they consistently restock.
Brooks Brothers vs Ralph Lauren – Discounting
This is a category where Brooks Brothers take the lead. The brand always offers customers discounts, with over 60% of its offerings on sale. However, although Ralph Lauren offers discounts, it isn’t as frequent as the Brooks Brothers. For example, their Polo Ralph Lauren label provides very low rate discounting because it has a higher replenishment rate.
Final Thoughts
Ralph Lauren and Brooks Brothers consistently offer top-quality products to their consumers. However, one of the most salient differences between the two brands in this Brooks Brothers vs Ralph Lauren comparison is that Ralph Lauren focuses on the elite class. At the same time, Brooks Brothers offer its products to the general public. In addition, Brooks Brothers offer lower pricing than Ralph Lauren and have the best return policy.
However, Ralph Lauren offers more products than Brook Brothers as it has many brands in the lifestyle and fashion industry. Overall, your choice of which is better depends on your needs. Both offer quality apparel and will be an excellent option for your formal and casual wear.
