How Orlebar Brown Went From $300 Swimsuits to Suit Jackets

It all began with a rejection. British swimwear brand Orlebar Brown may now be expanding into new apparel categories, having grown to almost 50 boutiques after an acquisition in 2018 by Chanel, but it was born in 2007 out of a vacation mishap.

At a luxury resort in Rajasthan, India, Adam Brown—then a self-described “rubbish professional photographer”—was denied entry to lunch for arriving in swim trunks. This dismissal sat with him as he began to question his own professional path. Why weren’t bathing suits elegant enough for a sit-down meal? For that matter, why was there more elevated tailoring in women’s swimwear than in men’s?