luxury
Luxury may refer to:
*Luxury goods, an economic good or service for which demand increases more than proportionally as income rises
*Luxury tax, tax on products not considered essential, such as expensive cars
**Luxury tax (sports), surcharge put ...
brand specializing in
swimwear
A swimsuit is an item of clothing designed to be worn by people engaging in a water-based activity or water sports, such as swimming, diving and surfing, or sun-orientated activities, such as sun bathing. Different types may be worn by men, wom ...
Suzy Gershman Suzy Gershman (April 13, 1948 – July 25, 2012) was an American writer who authored sixteen "Born to Shop" guidebooks over the course of twenty-six years, beginning in 1986. Her travel guides, which cover the shopping scenes in counties and cities, ...
, ''Suzy Gershman's Born to Shop Italy: The Ultimate Guide for Travelers Who Love to Shop'', John Wiley & Sons, 2010, p. 29 /ref>Suzy Gershman, ''Suzy Gershman's Born to Shop New York: The Ultimate Guide for People Who Love to Shop'', Frommer's, 2008, p. 21 /ref> The brand was created in 1971 in
Saint Tropez
, INSEE = 83119
, postal code = 83990
, image coat of arms = Blason ville fr Saint-Tropez-A (Var).svg
, image flag=Flag of Saint-Tropez.svg
Saint-Tropez (; oc, Sant Tropetz, ; ) is a commune in the Var department and the region of Provence-Al ...
by Fred Prysquel, a photographer and sports automobile journalist and Yvette, a fashion designer. One interesting fact is Fred is colorblind and Yvette picks out all the colors. Adam Fox, 'Vilebrequin swimwear', on
AskMen.com
AskMen is a free online men's web portal, with international versions in Australia, Canada, the Middle East, the United Kingdom and the United States. It is owned by Ziff Davis and operates through the IGN Entertainment unit.
History
AskMen was ...
br> /ref> The brand has stores in Saint-Tropez, Paris, Beverly Hills, Las Vegas, Milan, Monte Carlo, Seoul, New York City and Washington DC, among others.Vilebrequin Official website store location It was due to Prysquel's passion for automobiles that he named his brand, Vilebrequin, the French word for "
crankshaft
A crankshaft is a mechanical component used in a piston engine to convert the reciprocating motion into rotational motion. The crankshaft is a rotating shaft containing one or more crankpins, that are driven by the pistons via the connecting ...
".
History
In 1971, Fred Prysquel, photographer and automobile journalist, sketched and cut out a swimsuit design from a paper tablecloth in a Saint Tropezian café. Inspired by the swimsuits of surfers at the time, he created a longer
boxer short
Boxer shorts (also known as loose boxers or as simply boxers) are a type of undergarment typically worn by men.
The term has been used in English since 1944 for all-around-elastic shorts, so named after the shorts worn by boxers, for whom unhinde ...
style much different than the shorter and fitted swimsuits of that period. Designed from
spinnaker
A spinnaker is a sail designed specifically for sailing off the wind on courses between a reach (wind at 90° to the course) to downwind (course in the same direction as the wind). Spinnakers are constructed of lightweight fabric, usually n ...
cloth, his l swimsuit was bright, original and designed to dry quickly in the sun.
In 1991, fellow Tropezian and textile worker, Loïc Berthet, took over the brand and added new styles and models. To men's swim trunks, he added a back pocket secured with Velcro, eyelet holes made from a stainless alloy,
Zamac
ZAMAK (or Zamac, formerly trademarked as MAZAK) is a family of alloys with a base metal of zinc and alloying elements of aluminium, magnesium, and copper.
Zamak alloys are part of the zinc aluminum, zinc aluminium alloy family; they are distingu ...
, and a cotton lining.
In 1994, Vilebrequin expanded its collection to include boys' garments.
Between 1990 and 2000, the brand expanded worldwide and opened locations in London,
Alassio
Alassio ( lij, Arasce) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Savona situated in the western coast of Liguria, Northern Italy, approximately from the French border.
Alassio is known for its natural and scenic views. The town centre is cro ...
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, Hong Kong and Madrid. The brand also developed a network of distribution partners in over 50 countries.
In 2012, Vilebrequin was acquired by the American company
G-III Apparel Group
G-III Apparel Group is an American clothing company which designs, manufactures, and markets women's and men's apparel in the United States and internationally through a portfolio of highly recognizable proprietary and licensed brand names, inclu ...
, Ltd., which also licenses
Calvin Klein
Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc., in 1968. In addition to clothing, he also has given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and ...
,
DKNY
DKNY is a New York City–based fashion house for men and women, founded in 1984 by Donna Karan.
History
Karan worked for 15 years at Anne Klein, including 10 as its head designer. In 1984 Karan and her late husband Stephan Weiss were offered t ...
, and
Karl Lagerfeld Paris Karl may refer to:
People
* Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne
* Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer
* Karl of Austria, last Austria ...
. Roland Herlory, prior general director for Hermès Latin America and Caribbean, became the new CEO.
In 2013, after more than 40 years in menswear, Vilebrequin launched their first ladies' line and extended their product offering to also include resort wear as well as luxury beach accessories for both men and women.
In 2014, Vilebrequin opened stores with a particular focus on expansion throughout Asia with openings in South Korea, Thailand and Singapore.
In 2013, the brand released a men's collector swimsuit embroidered in gold thread with solely 20 models available. In 2014, the model was replicated and sapphire elements were added.
In 2020, the brand collaborated with American artist
Derrick Adams
Derrick Adams (born 1970) is an American visual and performance artist and curator. Much of Adams' work is centered around his Black identity, frequently referencing patterns, images, and themes of African-American culture, Black culture in Amer ...
to create a capsule collection of swim shorts, inspired by Adams’ ‘Floaters’ series.
Distribution
As of 2014, Vilebrequin is present across 5 continents and in 52 countries with more than 150 stores. The brand has e-shops in Europe and the United States.
References
Rod Hagwood, 'NHL and NFL players model Vilebrequin swimwear at Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach', in ''
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
The ''Sun Sentinel'' (also known as the ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', known until 2008 as the ''Sun-Sentinel'', and stylized on its masthead as ''SunSentinel'') is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as well as surrounding Br ...