Founded by Adam Brown and Julia Simpson-Orlebar in 2007, Orlebar Brown is a British clothing line that specialises in tailored men’s swim shorts. The shorts are based on the 17-piece pattern of a pair of traditional men’s suit trousers and feature a four-part shaped waistband, zip fly closure and side fasteners.
The company also offers a range of rash guards, shorts, polo shirts, long and short sleeve shirts, jumpers and sweatshirts. In 2017 the brand, which was backed by private equity house Piper and which had grown to open shops in Wimbledon, Mayfair, Notting Hill, the City, Chelsea and Canary Wharf revealed it had appointed advisers to investigate sale and investment opportunities.
Last year (2018) it was sold to Chanel for an undisclosed sum where it sits alongside Chanel’s existing swimwear line Eres. Orlebar Brown has 24 stores and more than 250 wholesale accounts globally.
