Vilebrequin Shorts

Vilebrequin

The founder of Vilebrequin started his iconic brand in the 1970s by cutting up a white and red chequered tablecloth in search of a bathing suit that was suitable for swimming. Whilst happy with the revolutionary cut, he was not satisfied with the fabric and kept experimenting with fabrics until eventually he found a spinnaker textile which dried remarkably fast. It was this that changed the face of mens swimwear. Initially, Vilebrequin creations were only distributed in Saint Tropez but soon gained a fantastic reputation amongst the Saint Tropez regulars but Vilebrequin only gained international prominence when its current owner, TRB International purchased the brand. Meaning ‘crankshaft’ in French, the brand is synonymous with colourful and practical swimwear. The Vilebrequin collection today has hundreds of different styles, both long Okoa and standard Moorea and ranging from elastic waistbands to those with more stylized cuts featuring a flat waistband and lace up or grommet fastenings. Each year, Vilebrequin issue a new set of prints and the trunks attract a following similar to the prints of Hermes ties. Vilebrequin then launched it’s a like father like son marketing concept whereby a miniature version is available from the age of 6 months only. Vilebrequin shorts have a one-piece mesh lining which makes them comfortable to wear, and they feature such details as a button hole stitched into the back pocket which avoids the ballooning effect usually experienced when entering the water in other shorts. Vilebrequin also provides a full range of beach accessories including linen shirts, tee-shirts, polo shirts and sunhats all featuring the iconic Vilebrequin logo. Vilebrequin trunks are always accompanied by a waterproof pouch made with a specially treated canvas that prevents other items in your suitcase from getting wet.

Other designer swimwear collections include:

• Gottex
• Miraclesuit
• Maryan Mehlhorn
• Pain de Sucre
• Roidal
• Melissa Odabash