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After acquiring the American suit maker, the oldest continuously running brand in the country, out of bankruptcy in September for $325 million, joint owners Authentic Brands Group (ABG) and Simon Property Group have named Ken Ohashi as president and designer Michael Bastian as creative director of men’s and women’s.
Designer Zac Posen, who was the creative director of the women’s collections since 2014, has exited the business.
The pandemic pushed Brooks Brothers to the edge — the business filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 8 — but it was already weakened before due to changing dress codes and a heavy network of stores. The deal with SPARC Group, the entity formed by ABG and Simon, will keep at least 125 stores open.
Ohashi will report to SPARC chief executive officer Marc Miller, who he previously worked with at teen mall brand Aéropostale before ABG acquired it with Simon and General Growth Properties in 2016.
Bastian, who was most recently the interim creative director at Ted Baker, was the men’s fashion director at Bergdorf Goodman before launching his namesake luxury menswear line in 2006.
