By Yale Breslin
Looks from Orlebar Brown’s recent Bord de Mer collection channel an endless summer spent by the sea.
Orlebar Brown Co-founder Adam Brown.
As many of us return to our regularly scheduled programming of travel, swimwear brand Orlebar Brown is marking the return—and its 15th anniversary—with two new collections rooted in nostalgia for travel and glamour. Instantly recognizable on beaches around the world for their mid-length fit trunks, adjustable side fasteners and assortment of colors and geometric prints, Orlebar Brown— is focused on a destination state of mind.
The brand kicked off 2022 with the GT Capsule—inspired by the iconic designs of the grand tourers, and the timeless thrill of race car culture. The classic racing stripe adorns swim trunks, shorts, polos and loungewear and has a timelessness that appeals to the broad audience Orlebar Brown has been captivating.
For Adam Brown, the brand’s UK-based co-founder, the focus has always been clear: updating a classic swim shape, and a silhouette that has still occupied the central nucleus of all things Orlebar Brown, for the man of today. “Our core is still the O.B. classic swim shorts,” he says. “Everything we do has sunshine, travel, happiness and good times at the center. We believe in enjoying everything that holidays have to offer.”
From left: models wearing Standard Moissan and Setter Moissan swim shorts in this season’s bold new patterns.
For this season’s Deauville collection, that holiday spirit turns its attention to an upscale seaside destination in Normandy. “The shores of Deauville beckoned us with their glamour and decadence,” explains Brown. “Anyone who was anyone flocked to this iconic resort. It was a time when everything was done in excess. Style bordered on eccentric, sunbathing was a way of life and new cultures were embraced. It felt right to go somewhere romantic like this for the 15th anniversary.”
