19.06.23 in ambassadeurs
Adam Brown
Can you tell us how Orlebar Brown came to be?
Orlebar Brown was born in 2007. The idea came to me in 2005, while I was on vacation in India and was refused entry to my hotel restaurant for lunch. It started as a play on words: I thought to myself that I didn't want swim trunks, but shorts I could actually swim in. There wasn't really a specific trigger, apart from that one time I couldn't get into the restaurant. So the original idea came from the pun. I did some market research, which mostly consisted of shopping. Nothing scientific. I then took a three-day course on the fashion industry, and then I launched the business. I made 1,000 pairs of shorts, stored them in a self-storage unit, and started selling them from my spare bedroom. It was a single style available in five colors and four lengths.
What are your sources of inspiration? How would you describe your creative process?
Many people say they find inspiration everywhere, and that's certainly true for me. It's a truly amazing process; it can happen when I'm reading a magazine on the weekend, when I'm walking in the countryside, or when I'm on holiday and I see someone walk into a restaurant, when I'm on a specific beach, or, I don't know, when I'm talking to someone. Inspiration really does come from anywhere. But for Orlebar Brown, it's always something personal. My references are primarily personal experiences. They're usually related to a place I've been, someone I've met, an object, a book I've read, or photographs I've seen. But it very often revolves around travel, as that's the DNA of our brand. It's often somewhere outside London, near the ocean. Inspiration can come when I read a book or watch a film set in that place, or when I walk around a city.
Orlebar Brown now employs over 140 people. I initiate the creative process. I launch an idea, a concept for the start of the season, which usually revolves around a word, an object, or an item, and then we develop the idea. The design team steps in, and it then takes 18 months to create the collection, during which time we conduct several group evaluations of the range. Everything has to be quantified and scored, following the usual steps. But we do it collaboratively. I initiate the process, but the execution is collective. Everyone participates until the collection launches. Everyone contributes, but I don't design the products myself: we have a team of designers in charge of creating the collection. I oversee the whole process more than I create.
This summer, we're celebrating our 15th anniversary, so we'll have to celebrate this milestone somehow. The goal isn't simply to say, "We're 15, happy birthday!" It will be an opportunity to rejoice and be positive. There should be color. Let's not forget that at 15, you're still a teenager. What was I doing when I was 15? Where was I? I remember at one point, I was traveling by ferry to visit the Greek islands before heading to Spain. For me, that was the era of Wham! and "Club Tropicana." Wham! represents my adolescence, my 15th year, but also a way to celebrate joy, the happiness of being together, energy, vitality, noise—everything that makes you feel happy. It's a bit of a cliché, but the idea for our 15th anniversary was to return to our roots, to where we started, and to take a moment to refocus, to reflect on our identity, on who we are.
Orlebar Brown was born in 2007. The idea came to me in 2005, while I was on vacation in India and was refused entry to my hotel restaurant for lunch. It started as a play on words: I thought to myself that I didn't want swim trunks, but shorts I could actually swim in. There wasn't really a specific trigger, apart from that one time I couldn't get into the restaurant. So the original idea came from the pun. I did some market research, which mostly consisted of shopping. Nothing scientific. I then took a three-day course on the fashion industry, and then I launched the business. I made 1,000 pairs of shorts, stored them in a self-storage unit, and started selling them from my spare bedroom. It was a single style available in five colors and four lengths.
What are your sources of inspiration? How would you describe your creative process?
Many people say they find inspiration everywhere, and that's certainly true for me. It's a truly amazing process; it can happen when I'm reading a magazine on the weekend, when I'm walking in the countryside, or when I'm on holiday and I see someone walk into a restaurant, when I'm on a specific beach, or, I don't know, when I'm talking to someone. Inspiration really does come from anywhere. But for Orlebar Brown, it's always something personal. My references are primarily personal experiences. They're usually related to a place I've been, someone I've met, an object, a book I've read, or photographs I've seen. But it very often revolves around travel, as that's the DNA of our brand. It's often somewhere outside London, near the ocean. Inspiration can come when I read a book or watch a film set in that place, or when I walk around a city.
Orlebar Brown now employs over 140 people. I initiate the creative process. I launch an idea, a concept for the start of the season, which usually revolves around a word, an object, or an item, and then we develop the idea. The design team steps in, and it then takes 18 months to create the collection, during which time we conduct several group evaluations of the range. Everything has to be quantified and scored, following the usual steps. But we do it collaboratively. I initiate the process, but the execution is collective. Everyone participates until the collection launches. Everyone contributes, but I don't design the products myself: we have a team of designers in charge of creating the collection. I oversee the whole process more than I create.
This summer, we're celebrating our 15th anniversary, so we'll have to celebrate this milestone somehow. The goal isn't simply to say, "We're 15, happy birthday!" It will be an opportunity to rejoice and be positive. There should be color. Let's not forget that at 15, you're still a teenager. What was I doing when I was 15? Where was I? I remember at one point, I was traveling by ferry to visit the Greek islands before heading to Spain. For me, that was the era of Wham! and "Club Tropicana." Wham! represents my adolescence, my 15th year, but also a way to celebrate joy, the happiness of being together, energy, vitality, noise—everything that makes you feel happy. It's a bit of a cliché, but the idea for our 15th anniversary was to return to our roots, to where we started, and to take a moment to refocus, to reflect on our identity, on who we are.
"The idea for our 15th anniversary was to return to our roots, to where we started, and to take a moment to refocus, to reflect on our identity, on who we are."
Who are the people who serve as role models for you in your profession?
Oh my God, as my therapist would tell you, everyone but me! Creatively, the starting point for the brand very often comes from family photos, whether it's the basis of a fabric or what my family was doing at a particular point in their lives: the trips, the places they visited. I often refer back to that. In fact, I'm inspired by all people who persevere. It's very easy to kill an idea, but it's also not very complicated to launch something. Most people can start a project, but maintaining the initial momentum is more complex. I find inspiring all those who reach 20, 25, 30 years of experience. Those who have stayed with the brand and kept things moving forward. Those whose brand has retained its identity, its essence, its spirit, its personality, what it's meant to be. I won't name names, but I'm thinking of certain people who launched brands, kept them afloat, and managed to preserve what made them special in the first place. These people inspire me. My family photos, old pictures, archive images… I also love finding postcards.
Do you have a favorite subject, and if so, how do you approach it?
My favorite fabric is terry cloth, which reminds me of my grandfather. I have photos of him when he lived in Hong Kong. Every weekend, they would go boating or to the beach, and he always wore a terry cloth polo shirt. For me, this fabric is romantic. It's evocative. It's ideal for the beach. You can dry it, sweat in it, get it wet. It's not too hot. It's not a warm fabric, and it dyes beautifully. You can dye it in lovely dark shades and very soft pastels. For me, for Orlebar Brown, it's the most evocative fabric.
What's your biggest challenge, accomplished or yet to be accomplished?
My biggest challenge accomplished… The fact that Orlebar Brown has always remained true to its essence. It's a cliché, but trying to measure and preserve the DNA and essence of something is incredibly difficult. What I'm most proud of is that we're constantly improving. I think the product is improving. Our storytelling is improving. The way we communicate and talk about holidays is improving. My biggest fear has always been that our spirit would become diluted, that we'd have to compromise as the brand evolved. We wouldn't be able to do things as well then. It's not necessarily an accomplishment, but it's what I'm most proud of.
And if you hadn't founded OB, what job would you have liked to do?
I was 40 when I founded Orlebar Brown. Before that, I was one of those people who didn't know what they wanted to do with their life. I worked in the charity sector for about ten years. I worked in the field of AIDS, in prisons, and for children's charities. I was offered a good job, but it didn't interest me. So I went back to university, studied photography, and worked as a photographer for six years, but I was terrible. At 40, I found myself without a real career. I didn't know what I wanted. My life wasn't bad, but I didn't have a career. I didn't know what I wanted to do. I couldn't figure out what I enjoyed. I was very lucky to find Orlebar Brown because I honestly don't know if I could have been a real estate agent. I might have worked in marketing.
Oh my God, as my therapist would tell you, everyone but me! Creatively, the starting point for the brand very often comes from family photos, whether it's the basis of a fabric or what my family was doing at a particular point in their lives: the trips, the places they visited. I often refer back to that. In fact, I'm inspired by all people who persevere. It's very easy to kill an idea, but it's also not very complicated to launch something. Most people can start a project, but maintaining the initial momentum is more complex. I find inspiring all those who reach 20, 25, 30 years of experience. Those who have stayed with the brand and kept things moving forward. Those whose brand has retained its identity, its essence, its spirit, its personality, what it's meant to be. I won't name names, but I'm thinking of certain people who launched brands, kept them afloat, and managed to preserve what made them special in the first place. These people inspire me. My family photos, old pictures, archive images… I also love finding postcards.
Do you have a favorite subject, and if so, how do you approach it?
My favorite fabric is terry cloth, which reminds me of my grandfather. I have photos of him when he lived in Hong Kong. Every weekend, they would go boating or to the beach, and he always wore a terry cloth polo shirt. For me, this fabric is romantic. It's evocative. It's ideal for the beach. You can dry it, sweat in it, get it wet. It's not too hot. It's not a warm fabric, and it dyes beautifully. You can dye it in lovely dark shades and very soft pastels. For me, for Orlebar Brown, it's the most evocative fabric.
What's your biggest challenge, accomplished or yet to be accomplished?
My biggest challenge accomplished… The fact that Orlebar Brown has always remained true to its essence. It's a cliché, but trying to measure and preserve the DNA and essence of something is incredibly difficult. What I'm most proud of is that we're constantly improving. I think the product is improving. Our storytelling is improving. The way we communicate and talk about holidays is improving. My biggest fear has always been that our spirit would become diluted, that we'd have to compromise as the brand evolved. We wouldn't be able to do things as well then. It's not necessarily an accomplishment, but it's what I'm most proud of.
And if you hadn't founded OB, what job would you have liked to do?
I was 40 when I founded Orlebar Brown. Before that, I was one of those people who didn't know what they wanted to do with their life. I worked in the charity sector for about ten years. I worked in the field of AIDS, in prisons, and for children's charities. I was offered a good job, but it didn't interest me. So I went back to university, studied photography, and worked as a photographer for six years, but I was terrible. At 40, I found myself without a real career. I didn't know what I wanted. My life wasn't bad, but I didn't have a career. I didn't know what I wanted to do. I couldn't figure out what I enjoyed. I was very lucky to find Orlebar Brown because I honestly don't know if I could have been a real estate agent. I might have worked in marketing.
"The starting point for the brand very often comes from family photos, whether it's the basis of a fabric or what my family was doing at a certain point in their lives: the trips, the places they visited. I often refer to them."
A favorite place where you can usually be found? A place that reflects who you are?
Right now, I'm in southwest England, more precisely Cornwall, the pointed tip in the bottom left corner of the map. I used to go there as a child. My grandmother would take me for four weeks in the summer and four weeks at Easter. The waves break on large rocks; it's a very windy place, ideal for surfing. Nothing like the Mediterranean. It's not calm, it's not as noisy, bright, or exposed to the wind. I live there part of the time, and I love this region. I simply love going to those wide beaches every day and watching the waves roll in, with the dogs. It's my little paradise.
Do you have a lucky charm? How much does it weigh?
Yes, a bar of dark chocolate. I eat chocolate every day.
What appealed to you about the idea of collaborating with Le Gramme?
We're constantly looking for new things. We started with shorts, then we created T-shirts and polos. I love seeing how Orlebar Brown can become an accessory while still maintaining its style. Men's jewelry is something beautiful. It's always interested me. What I love is that, especially when I go on vacation, I tend to wear bracelets, bangles, or other accessories. There's a kind of purity, essence, and spirit in everything Le Gramme does that's reminiscent of Orlebar Brown. Your story is very close to ours. The brand's DNA and values have to align. They can be interpreted in completely different ways, but I think it's important to find two brands that feel like they're rooted in the same place. That's what I like about this collaboration.
What inspires you about Le Gramme's creations?
When I think of Orlebar Brown, the words that come to mind are: sunshine, travel, happiness, and good times. When I see the Le Gramme bracelets we created together, I feel they bring sunshine and joy, and inspire a desire to travel and experience wonderful moments.
If Le Gramme were an item of clothing, which one would it be?
A navy blue polo shirt made of terry cloth, whose name is Terry.
How to wear your Orlebar Brown x Le Gramme bracelet
It doesn't matter. I don't even think about it; I think about the beauty of things: finding the right watch, the right strap, the right piece. You shouldn't think about it. Whether it's navy blue or navy and red, there are times when you appreciate color. When your navy goes with everything. For me, it's a pleasure. I'm, by nature, a bit lazy. I don't want to think about it; I'm just very happy to wear whatever's lying by my bed. Just slip it on, put on your watch, and you're good to go.
Right now, I'm in southwest England, more precisely Cornwall, the pointed tip in the bottom left corner of the map. I used to go there as a child. My grandmother would take me for four weeks in the summer and four weeks at Easter. The waves break on large rocks; it's a very windy place, ideal for surfing. Nothing like the Mediterranean. It's not calm, it's not as noisy, bright, or exposed to the wind. I live there part of the time, and I love this region. I simply love going to those wide beaches every day and watching the waves roll in, with the dogs. It's my little paradise.
Do you have a lucky charm? How much does it weigh?
Yes, a bar of dark chocolate. I eat chocolate every day.
What appealed to you about the idea of collaborating with Le Gramme?
We're constantly looking for new things. We started with shorts, then we created T-shirts and polos. I love seeing how Orlebar Brown can become an accessory while still maintaining its style. Men's jewelry is something beautiful. It's always interested me. What I love is that, especially when I go on vacation, I tend to wear bracelets, bangles, or other accessories. There's a kind of purity, essence, and spirit in everything Le Gramme does that's reminiscent of Orlebar Brown. Your story is very close to ours. The brand's DNA and values have to align. They can be interpreted in completely different ways, but I think it's important to find two brands that feel like they're rooted in the same place. That's what I like about this collaboration.
What inspires you about Le Gramme's creations?
When I think of Orlebar Brown, the words that come to mind are: sunshine, travel, happiness, and good times. When I see the Le Gramme bracelets we created together, I feel they bring sunshine and joy, and inspire a desire to travel and experience wonderful moments.
If Le Gramme were an item of clothing, which one would it be?
A navy blue polo shirt made of terry cloth, whose name is Terry.
How to wear your Orlebar Brown x Le Gramme bracelet
It doesn't matter. I don't even think about it; I think about the beauty of things: finding the right watch, the right strap, the right piece. You shouldn't think about it. Whether it's navy blue or navy and red, there are times when you appreciate color. When your navy goes with everything. For me, it's a pleasure. I'm, by nature, a bit lazy. I don't want to think about it; I'm just very happy to wear whatever's lying by my bed. Just slip it on, put on your watch, and you're good to go.
"When I see the Le Gramme bracelets that we created together, I feel that they bring sunshine, joy, and inspire a desire to travel and experience good times."
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bracelet_7g_silver-925_brushed_smooth_nato cable_navy_red_orlebar_brown; bracelet_7g_silver-925_brushed_smooth_nato cable_navy_orlebar_brown; bracelet_21g_silver-925_polished_smooth_ribbon
