It’s Going Swimmingly
“When you’re proud of something, you want the team to be proud with you. Perhaps I’m an idealist” For luxury brands on the fast lane, new developments can be monthly enterprises. However, CEO of French swimwear brand Vilebrequin, Roland Herlory, tells Jolene Khor in Hong Kong that the slow and steady really do win the race
t was the summer of 1971 when fred prysquel sketched his first design for Vilebrequin on a tablecloth at an al fresco cafe in Saint-tropez. His vision, a colourful pair of swim shorts made of spinnaker cloth, perfect for sailing, swimming and frolicking on the most beautiful beaches in the world. Now, 45 years later, the company’s CEO Roland Herlory is in Hong Kong at the launch of its debut footwear collection, posing for cheeky pictures with a pair of black-and-white shorts. The print reads, “Gone Tanning”. It’s a clue as to how far the French luxury swimwear brand has come. It’s a clue as to how much farther it wishes to go. The sublime quality of its “made for life” swimwear and the cutting-edge technology of its durable fabrics stand the test of time in more ways than one. But now, Herlory itches to expand the brand—sunglasses and watches will see light of day in 2017, with more beach life accessories to come—but not at the expense of the brand’s identity.
What is at the heart of Vilebrequin?
It is the love story, the essence of Saint-tropez in the 1970s. It was a time when women had their first taste of freedom, the freedom of their bodies. We see the old conservatism fall away and the emergence of a new world. Like that special moment, Vilebrequin is about freedom, humour, joy and fantasy wrapped up in the allure of elegance.
But first came the men’s trunks...
Yes, that was the primary focus and the source of our know-how for the first 45 years. Our customers are men who wear grey suits and ties all year long. We need to breach this heavy masculinity. I love that we can bring the fantasy to them. On a beach holiday, we dare them to wear wild prints, like green shrimps and fuchsia elephants.
And then there were the super luxurious gold shorts!
I’m always thinking, “How do we push the border? How do we take what we do a step further?” Then we came up with exclusive trunks embroidered with 24K matte gold thread. Each turtle was