Swimming cool

MANILA, Philippines - Devoted to crafting beautiful fashion items, Vilebrequin settles for nothing less than excellence. The company has mastered the art of detail, the design of exclusive prints and impeccable manufacturing standards to ensure that a “Vilebrequin” will always remain the epitome of casual elegance. With its recent opening in Greenbelt 5, Vilebrequin exclusively distributed in the Philippines by Stores Specialists, Inc., will give Manila a taste of the lifestyle and fashion of the world’s most famous beach destination, the French Riviera.

It all began in the 1970s with the chic beach resort of Saint Tropez — the place to be seen for the world’s rich, famous and beautiful. A visionary young man with a creative streak, seated at the terrace of a famous café, casually pulled off the checkered tablecloth and, with a few snips of his scissors, fashioned it into a swimsuit with a refreshingly unique design. Pleased with the bold cut but not the fabric, he tested other materials, and came up with a quick-drying spinnaker canvas. Boxer-short swimming trunks were born! The young man was a car fanatic and decided to give his design the odd-sounding name of “Vilebrequin” (which means crankshaft in French).

From swimwear specialist, Vilebrequin soon emerged as the only luxury men’s fashion brand dedicated exclusively to beach and swimwear. Synonymous with superior quality, as well as fostering a sense of affinity, Vilebrequin expanded the realms of its exclusive “community” by launching the “Like Father, Like Son” concept in the 1990s, which appealed to men’s idealistic yearning to bond closer with their sons. Vilebrequin expanded worldwide and created its first range of clothes in 1996. Today, the brand is established in all corners of the globe, with 60 locations at the world’s finest avenues of luxury in such cities as Paris, Saint-Tropez, Rome, New York, Hong Kong and Beverly Hills.

For its Fall-Winter 2009 collection, Vilebrequin has an entire new line of men’s ready-to-wear fashions. True to its Saint-Tropez roots, it’s a special combination of elegance and comfort. Blue and white are the dominant colors, present in the traditional fabrics of the brand — linen and cotton — but also in winter materials such as cashmere and wool. Pants, dress shirts, polo shirts, Bermuda shorts — the entire line can be coordinated to outfit the Vilebrequin man on the beach or in town with elegant sportswear.

For the brand’s staple, swimwear, this season has been inspired by exotic and faraway places: the flora of Bora Bora, pineapples from Lanaï in the Hawaiian Islands, parakeets from Malaita in the Pacific Ocean, or Hiva Oa (French Polynesia) and its famous tattoos.

Finally, a new cut has been added to the history of the brand, the Meridien model, a new style of boxer trunks: flat waistband, 38 cm leg length in size L, the Vilebrequin logo stitched across the back of the trunks and available in all plain colors.

By staying true to its original concept, the French Riviera favorite is now setting trends for the world’s fashion capitals!

In the Philippines, Vilebrequin is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists, Inc. (SSI) and is located at Greenbelt 5.