Famed clothier Brooks Brothers files for bankruptcy

Brooks Brothers, the storied Manhattan clothier, is filing for bankruptcy protection. The company that says it’s dressed 40 U.S. presidents has survived two world wars and navigated the “casual Fridays” phenomenon and a loosening of dress standards even on Wall Street, but the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the 200-year-old firm into seeking Chapter 11 protection Wednesday. Another men’s clothier, Barneys of New York, sought bankruptcy protection last year, and it was followed by a slew of others toppled by the pandemic, including Neiman Marcus, J.Crew and J.C. Penney. In March, it shifted some production at plants in New York, North Carolina and Massachusetts to produce 150,000 masks per day for front-line health workers.