Express

Express opened its first store in Chicago in 1980 as a division of The Limited. What began as a womenswear business developed into an American label closely associated with the working wardrobe, offering accessible fashion for the office and the hours after it. Its position between everyday basics and occasion dressing gave the mall store a practical role in a young adult’s closet.

Menswear arrived in 1987 and became the separate Structure chain in 1989. The decision to reunite Structure with Express, announced in 2001, brought men’s and women’s clothing under the same name. That history helps explain why Express menswear has always needed to do more than provide a suit for work.

Tailoring sits alongside denim and casual shirts, giving men different ways to adjust the formality of an outfit. A blazer can join a knit polo or an open-collar shirt, while changes in fit allow the same wardrobe idea to move with fashion. The appeal depends on recognizable clothes that can be bought for a particular occasion and worn again in less formal settings.

The business entered a new ownership chapter in 2024, when Phoenix Retail, a venture led by WHP Global and real-estate partners, acquired its retail operations. Based in Columbus, Ohio, Express remains connected to an everyday American dressing problem, finding clothes that can move between professional expectations and a social life.