Brooks Brothers

Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources

New York heritage brand selling suits, shirts and knitwear.

There's no proof Brooks Brothers pays more than the legal minimum, which in the United States is below a living wage, and it has no full independent audit.

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Why it's graded Lacks transparency

Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and a hidden, unaudited supply chain in high-risk countries. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
It isn't Harm on record, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually underpaid or unprotected.

How grades are decided

Good requirements 1 of 6

Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
Not met: Respects worker rightsMost of its products are made in countries such as China and Bangladesh, where unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
Not met: High-risk raw materials (cotton) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton

Red flags 2

Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
Red flag: Hidden supply chain, mostly in countries with poor worker rights

Stars it would earn as Good

None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Where it's made

From product labels; Brooks Brothers doesn't say where its products are made. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.

Where it's made, and conditions there
Country	Worker rights	Legal minimum wage	Forced labour risk
ChinaUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Below a living wage	Moderate
Italy	Strong protections	Close to a living wage	Low
United States	Systematic violations	Below a living wage	Low
BangladeshUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	Moderate
VietnamUsual for the industry	Systematic violations	Well below a living wage	Moderate
IndiaUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	High
CambodiaUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	Moderate
TürkiyeUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Below a living wage	Very high
IndonesiaUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	Moderate
PakistanUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Far below a living wage	High

Evidence

What we found

Doesn't show where its cotton comes from. Cotton is linked to forced labour in Xinjiang and Turkmenistan, and child labour in several growing regions, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.

Research notes Brooks Brothers closed its own US suit, shirt and tie factories in 2020 and now relies on outside suppliers it does not name. Its flagship 1818 suits are labelled made in Italy and a few shirts are made in the USA; other countries are not disclosed. Its California supply chain statement describes announced supplier audits by its own staff or third-party firms, but it publishes no factory list or living wage commitment.

What independent sources say

Source	Result	Details
Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution)	Unclear	No result recorded in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index; the last recorded score was 13 out of 250 (about 5%) in 2020. View
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre	Listed	Company profile lists no labour stories or response requests; it notes Fashion Checker found no evidence of living wages in the supply chain (reviewed 2023). View
Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report	Not listed	Not in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report; brand owner Authentic Brands Group has no Ethical Fashion Report score. View

Sources and actions

Sources 7

Show all 7 sources

Brooks Brothers company profile (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) · search the archive · No allegations listed; FTI 2019 2.5/250, 2020 13/250; Fashion Checker no living wage evidence
Authentic Brands Group (Shop Ethical!) · search the archive · Lists Brooks Brothers among ABG brands; no Ethical Fashion Report score shown
Brooks Brothers relaunches in Australia (Inside Retail, 2023) · search the archive · 2023 Australian relaunch with own e-commerce site and David Jones wholesale
Where are Brooks Brothers suits made? (Nathan Tailors) · search the archive · US factories closed 2020; 1818 suits made in Italy; only two US-made shirts in 2025; Catalyst Brands operates brand
Brooks Brothers may close all U.S. factories (MR Magazine) · search the archive · 2020 plan to close Haverhill, Garland and Long Island City factories
Brooks Brothers at David Jones · search the archive · Brooks Brothers currently stocked by David Jones in Australia

Published by Brooks Brothers or its owner

Brooks Brothers California Transparency in Supply Chains Act statement · search the archive · BB OpCo LLC statement: supplier code, announced on-site audits, compliance agreements; no countries, factory list or living wage

Company details

Owned by: Authentic Brands Group (brand owner); operated by Catalyst Brands
Headquarters: United States
Last researched: 3 November 2026
Cite this page: Labour Lens, "Is Brooks Brothers ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/brooks-brothers, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method: Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

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No suits and tailoring brand selling new goods is Good yet. These are the strongest so far. Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.

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