Brooks Brothers and Supima: A match made in America

Carolina Dassum
Aug 28, 2017 · 4 min read

When you think of Brooks Brothers chances are you think quality, classic Americana. The brand has become very easily recognizable, even if you’ve never shopped in the clothier. The same way it’s easy to recognize a good cake, but its slightly more challenging to name all of the ingredients that go into said cake. It takes a certain level of expertise partnered with high quality ingredients to produce the recognizable quality of Brooks Brothers clothing or a mouthwatering cake.

One main ingredient that helps uphold Brooks Brothers to the elevated standards they’ve come to represent is the high grade and quality of the materials they select. Now what about the name Supima, does it make you think of anything particular? Do you immediately think quality or high grade? Probably not, though Supima upholds the same values as the better-known Brooks Brothers brand, not nearly as many people know it exists. Just like the delicious cake that’s easy to recognize, but more challenging to name what makes it so pleasant to consume, Supima is an ingredient in what makes a good percentage of Brooks Brothers product so soft and sturdy.

The word Supima refers to superior pima cotton, high quality cotton grown in the southwest United States. Its fiber is longer than regular cotton, making it stronger, softer and easier to dye. Though Pima cotton is considered a rather high grade of cotton, less than 3% of pima cotton qualifies as Supima quality. Yet, if you have ever shopped at Brooks Brothers, you have most likely purchased a Supima product, due to a fairly recent partnership between the two brands.

The partnership between Brooks Brothers and Supima started in 2010, and has had a positive impact on both parties. As Claudio Del Vecchio, Brooks Brothers’ CEO described it, “Supima allows us to create product that is not only extraordinarily luxurious but that is also strong and long wearing — something our customers have come to expect of our merchandise.” That statement alone speaks to not only the quality of Supima cotton as an ingredient, but to the standards that Brooks Brothers sets for their products. As well as the brands forward thinking and dedication to their customers. This adjustment and awareness of their consumers needs is a huge part of what makes the brand such a long lasting staple.

As Del Vecchio said in a 2015 interview with Bloomberg News: “-maybe 100 years ago it was more about design. Today it’s more about the quality, and the component of the mix and beautiful things, probably maybe so not as aggressive on trying new shape on a jacket for example, but the construction of the jacket.” This speaks strongly to what makes the partnership of Brooks Brothers and Supima so important: by acknowledging this change in the views of the consumer and adjusting to make a final product that focuses more, on not only the look of the garment, but the quality and feel of the materials, they make sure to continue making “delicious cake”. That has changed without the consumer completely understanding it, but is something they can feel when they put on this well-known quality product. Which not only strengthens Brooks Brothers brand, but also assists Supima in doing the same.

Supima advertises itself as a high end product used in elite American brands. By using this strategy they have taken advantage of the growing “transparency” trend, where consumers demand to know about the origin of the product. By keeping their brand accessible, they satisfy the young consumers needs. Partnerships with consumer brands such as Brooks Brothers make Supima easier to advertise. It is not just a fiber, it immediately becomes a tangible wearable good the customer can have an experience with and therefore create a relationship not just with the clothier brand but also with the raw material provider. The power of this advertising partnership is evident in the Supima Brooks Brothers ads that popped up in the NYC subway in 2016.

By teaming together “to wrap a New York subway train in Brooks Brothers messaging, both inside and out.” The two companies have combined to not only create ads that are literally impossible to miss, but also play off of the transparency that so many young fashionistas crave. This transparency helps Brooks Brothers to bring in new, younger customers, but also aids Supima in becoming more of a household name. Producing a symbiotic relationship between the two coexisting brands, helping Brooks Brothers stay relevant while making Supima an ingredient that the consumer can’t help but appreciate.

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