Describe the business in 3 words

Vibrant, Tailored, Brave

About the business

Orlebar Brown launched in March 2007 as a more tailored approach to men’s beach and swim shorts. Not so much a swim short but a ‘short you can swim in’, offering something you can wear on the beach, by the pool and then smart enough to go and have a drink or lunch.

Having initially focused on tailored shorts, the range evolved into a full resort collection influenced by 1960’s poolside utopia. The OB world draws inspiration from Slim Aarons’ iconic pictures of Riviera and Palm Beach life during the decade.

Orlebar Brown was founded by photographer Adam Brown, who openly confesses the venture to be one of those things he stumbled across quite by accident:

“In 2005 I went on holiday to celebrate a friends 40th birthday in Rajasthan. There were 30 people in the group aged between 25 – 50 years old. Most of them worked in design, took an interest in clothing – but were not obsessed by fashion. Around the pool, the women in the group looked great, but the men did not. All were wearing brightly patterned, baggy boxer short styles, briefs or board shorts. The idea for Orlebar Brown became clear when from sitting by the pool, we had to change to have lunch in the bar.”

Why is diversity and inclusion important to your company?

O.B is a brand that has never stood still. With that comes a desire to continuously challenge who we are, how we think, and what we do. To keep fresh it has never been more important to surround ourselves with people with new ideas, new ways of approaching things and to always strive to be better.

What is the culture that you foster within your company?

Social, environmental and financial sustainability are 3 pillars of equal importance that contribute to the success of OB. An internal social sustainability group made up of volunteers from across the company are tasked with supporting, advising, and providing input into key social initiatives throughout each year. To support with work life balance, flexible working is offered to office based employees

How do you support personal development?

Frequent check ins are encouraged between employee and line manager throughout the year, in addition to an annual personal development review. Self-development is also encouraged and supported.