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The press took note when Hillary Clinton wore pantsuits from the American label Ralph Lauren at the Democratic National Convention and at the first presidential debate. But the brands favored by her opponent, Donald J. Trump, have slipped under the radar.
While the Republican nominee has in years past expressed a fondness for the upscale Italian label Brioni (owned since 2011 by Kering, a French corporation), it was not a certainty that he has been wearing Brioni suits on the campaign trail.
An email exchange with Hope Hicks, a Trump campaign spokeswoman, cleared things up. Mr. Trump has indeed been wearing Brioni as Election Day draws near, and he also favors suits by the Brooklyn label Martin Greenfield Clothiers, “among others,” according to Ms. Hicks.
Mr. Greenfield is perhaps best known as the tailor to President Obama. Other fans of Greenfield suits include the former New York City mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and the former New York City police commissioner Raymond W. Kelly. Jay Greenfield, a son of Martin and the co-owner of the company, confirmed that it had made several suits for Mr. Trump before the start of his presidential run.
Mr. Trump’s public association with Brioni goes back to 2004, when he wrote in “Trump: Think Like a Billionaire” that the brand supplied him with suits for “The Apprentice.” “I wear Brioni suits, which I buy off the rack,” he wrote. Brioni has a 220-square-foot store in the newly opened Trump International Hotel in Washington.
Brioni had no comment on its relationship to Mr. Trump.
Although Brioni is also reportedly a favorite of President Obama’s, Mr. Trump has faced criticism because of his affection for the label. In July, Nick Carvell wrote in GQ, “What does that say of a man who espouses the need to create more American jobs for American people — then wears clothes cut by European designers?”
Mr. Trump has railed against the trend of United States manufacturers losing jobs to other countries, despite having admitted that some Trump-branded products are made abroad. In a segment with David Letterman in 2012, Mr. Letterman noted that Mr. Trump’s line of shirts for Macy’s was made in Bangladesh (“Well, that’s good,” Mr. Trump responded) and that the ties were made in China (“I’ve been very open about that,” Mr. Trump said). Macy’s ended its partnership with Mr. Trump last summer.
Shao Yang, founder of The Tailory, a custom clothier and alteration house in New York, said that Mr. Trump’s wardrobe choices were not doing him any favors: “He wears very expensive suits. But I don’t think he’s very modern with his dress. It’s making him look a lot shorter and a lot wider.”