Durable and always in fashion, Vilebrequin swimsuits have become a point of reference for generations of fathers and sons as well as mothers and daughters. Vilebrequin has always cultivated a spirit of refinement and fantasy, staying true to the casual charm upon which the house was founded in St-Tropez 45 years ago. Vilebrequin is further expending its role as ambassador for the art of living around the beach with a men’s and women’s line that includes swimwear, ready-to-wear, and accessories – as always, focused on making summer last all year long.

Fred Prysquel, a car racing journalist and adventurer at heart, was fearless and full of imagination when it came to impressing a beautiful woman he saw in St-Tropez. Sitted on a the terrace of a café in the port, inspired by the holidaymakers strolling, he sketched a swimsuit drawing on the corner of the table.

 

During this summer of 1971, everything was possible. Armed with a pair of scissors and a faint idea of how to make clothes, he sets about creating a bathing suit that would set him apart from his competitors on the beach. His starting point was the many fabrics he had collected during his trips all over the world.

 

On the French Riviera – that sunny, festive coastline connecting France and Italy – short, skinny trunks were in fashion at that time. But Prysquel’s were more special, not just because of the eyecatching patterns, but also because its cut was inspired by the board shorts American surfers wore at the time. The look was comfortable and cool, and the results were immediate.

 

The girl of his dreams fell for him, and all the guys on the beach suddenly wantedto look like him. Spotlight on the first Vilebrequin. For the name, he went back to his initial passion: cars. First he made one or two, then ten, suddenly a hundred. A trend is launched, the Vilebrequin brand is born. This love story gave way, later on, to Vilebrequin’s idea of designing for fathers and sons and mothers and daughters. Family ties are strengthened and values are passed down from one generation to the next,impervious to passing fashion trends.