Orlebar Brown

Orlebar Brown was founded in London in 2007 by Adam Brown and Julia Simpson-Orlebar. Brown’s experience of dressing for a holiday suggested a gap between swimming trunks and the clothes a man could wear to lunch. The business began with tailored shorts intended to work on both sides of that divide.

Based on the pattern of a traditional trouser, the swim shorts used side adjusters and a defined waistband in place of the usual loose, elasticated shape. Different lengths gave customers a choice of proportions. The Bulldog became a signature style, establishing an approach in which fit mattered as much beside the pool as it did elsewhere in the wardrobe.

The collection grew into a complete range of resort clothing, including polos and linen shirts alongside knitwear and trousers. Photographic prints introduced another connection to holiday imagery, while the appearance of its shorts in Skyfall linked the label to James Bond’s screen wardrobe. Later collaborations developed that relationship through clothing inspired by the films.

Chanel acquired Orlebar Brown in 2018, with Brown continuing its creative direction. The label’s identity remains organized around how men dress while traveling and taking time off. Its influence comes from treating holiday clothing as a coherent category, applying the discipline of tailoring to a wardrobe designed for leisure.