Thom Browne (born 1965, Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S.) American fashion designer known for his reconceptualization of the classic men’s suit. He became widely recognized for his womenswear after U.S. first lady Michelle Obama wore one of his designs to the 2013 presidential inauguration.
Browne studied business at the University of Notre Dame, where he was a competitive swimmer. Following graduation in 1988, he moved to Hollywood to become an actor and found some success working in commercials. Though not formally trained as a designer, he left for New York City in 1997 to pursue a career in the fashion industry, first working with a tailor, then as a salesman for Giorgio Armani, and later as a designer for Club Monaco. Browne launched a line of made-to-measure menswear in 2001, and his signature soon became impeccably tailored suits in traditional navy wools and gray flannels skewed with shrunken proportions. His designs initially shocked the fashion world but soon came to lead the trend of slim-fitting menswear. Browne drew much of his inspiration from classic mid-20th-century American style and incorporated preppy details such as grosgrain trim and short trousers shown with exposed ankles.
In 2016 Sandbridge Capital, a private equity investment firm, acquired a majority stake in Browne’s company. Two years later, however, the Italian fashion house Ermenegildo Zegna reached an agreement in which it acquired 85 percent of the business, with Browne as the only other shareholder. He also continued as chief creative officer.