MILAN — Brooks Brothers is hoping Milanese women will respond as well as their male counterparts to the brand’s specific take on classic Americana dressing.
To that end, the company opened the doors to a new, larger flagship on Via San Pietro all’Orto here on Saturday. Located around the corner from the company’s original unit in Corso Matteotti and just behind Via Montenapoleone, the 10,000-square-foot space offers women’s ready-to-wear and accessories, the complete range of men’s tailored clothing and sportswear, as well as boys’ clothing.
“We really had no choice. We needed more space,” said Brooks Brothers chief executive officer Claudio Del Vecchio, who flew in Monday morning from New York to attend a walk-through of the shop, which is three times the size of the former Milan flagship.
Del Vecchio said on a consolidated level women’s had grown to represent 20 percent of total sales, up from 12 percent when Retail Brand Alliance bought the brand from Marks & Spencer in 2001. “Women’s is our fastest growing division,” Del Vecchio added.
The store boasts a large open foyer covered in white marble where customers will find Brooks staples likes button-down shirts and ties. The first floor carries both women’s and accessories and features a plasma TV and game corner for children. The lower level is dedicated to boys’ clothing and men’s suiting where the company has installed a digital scanner to take measurements for custom suits. A grand marble and brass staircase connects all three floors, while a circular cutout on the first level offers a bird’s-eye view of the ground.
Del Vecchio declined to give a sales forecast for the store, but said first-day sales went “very, very well.”
Currently there are only five Brooks Brothers stores in Europe, but Del Vecchio said they are critical windows for building brand awareness among an international clientele. “In Europe it’s the beginning, but it’s important for the relationship we are trying to build,” Del Vecchio said, adding the units have helped raise the retailer’s profile in Asia thanks to Asian tourists traveling in Europe.
The Italian executive said the store here along with units in Paris and London will carry the new Black Fleece label designed by Thom Browne. Browne is expected to make personal appearances in Brooks Brothers stores in both Europe and Asia over the coming months.
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On the retail front, Del Vecchio said the company is actively searching for more European locations, specifically in Rome, Frankfurt and Madrid. In the U.S., Del Vecchio said the company would roll out three women’s-only stores in New Jersey, Tucson, Ariz., and Kansas City by the end of the year.
“Where we can, we’re looking for an opportunity to show more and more women’s,” Del Vecchio said.