Written by Menswear Style in Interviews on the 12th May 2021

Based in London, Orlebar Brown was founded by Adam Brown and launched in March 2007 as a tailored approach to men’s swim shorts. OB Classic swim shorts remain the original and best ‘short you can swim in’, offering something you can wear on the beach or by the pool, yet smart enough to wear to lunch or for a drink. In 2010, they progressed from beach to resort with a full range of holiday clothes that can also be incorporated into everyday wardrobes, including polos, chinos and shirts. In addition, they offer a Design Your Own service which enables you to create your own bespoke pair of photographic swim shorts using the #SnapShorts app in-store or online. Adam came up with the idea for Orlebar Brown “by accident” in 2005 when on holiday in Rajasthan for a friend’s 40th birthday. Sat around the pool, Adam noticed that while the women in the group looked great, the men did not – which became even more apparent when only the men had to change their clothes to have lunch in the bar.

In a recent episode of the MenswearStyle Podcast we interviewed Adam Brown, Founder of Orlebar Brown about the founding story of the brand and how he launched the label with just one product, men's swim shorts. Our host Peter Brooker and Adam also talked about dressing James Bond in Skyfall and how they were given access to explore the Eon Productions film archives when designing their popular 007 casual clothing collections.

“Daniel Craig in Skyfall was a real moment of luck. We weren't aware it was going to happen but obviously we were extremely pleased when it did. And even though it's a sort of blink and you miss it moment, it helped the brand reach an international audience through a franchise like James Bond. It was hugely instrumental in the success that we’ve had in future years since. We’re firmly exploring the archives of his wardrobe and we are looking at the breadth of fabrics, design signatures, and colour through the ages. They have an incredible archive just outside London which you can go and have a look at. They're remarkably generous with access and there are people there who literally know every scene of every Bond film, and every detail of what was worn in them. The swim shorts Daniel wore in Skyfall was one of our bestselling designs and is still a mainstay in the collection today.”

This is a shortened transcribed edit of episode 122 of the MenswearStyle Podcast with Adam Brown, Founder of orlebarbrown.com. You can listen to the full version below or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast player. Adam will be sharing his best advice on utilising data insights to understand customers and minimise business costs at Vodafone’s #ThoseWhoDare virtual conference on Thursday 20th May 2021. As part of its ambition to support SMEs, the week-long event will feature keynotes from over 30 dynamic and game-changing entrepreneurs. Register your attendance here.

We sit down and interview Adam Brown, the founder of Orlebar Brown about swim shorts, James Bond, Skyfall and Daniel Craig.