Fashion disruptor Thom Browne is known for breaking the rules when it comes to his runway shows and ready-to-wear collections. Now the designer is bringing his gender nonconforming aesthetic to his swimwear line with its inaugural campaign.
Although Browne has designed swimwear since 2011, the campaign marks a first for the brand. Male models pose wearing swim trunks and bikini tops, while female models wear board shorts (and nothing else) in a timeless, black and white shoot by, photographer and artist, Richard Phibbs.
The Thom Browne signature four-bar stripe design covers the triangle bikini tops, matching blouson jackets and accents one leg of the board shorts (which are made in Italy using proprietary swim tech fabric and come in a palette of red, white, navy, and gray). The shorts are meant to be styled low slung or worn “high, undone or tied,” the release states.
According to the brand, Browne was first inspired to design swim in 2011 to “fill a void in his closet.” Pool attire happens to be an area Browne knows well, having been a competitive swimmer while attending college at Notre Dame.
Thom Browne’s inaugural swim campaign follows two buzzy campaigns for the brand. One featured Stranger Things actor David Harbour and French-American artist Anh Duong shot by Tina Barney. Harbour and Duong posed in matching short suits in a scene inspired by Grant Wood’s “American Gothic.”
For the Spring 2022 childrenswear campaign, the brand tapped Belfast star Jude Hill who modeled a miniature-dachshund covered suit in a larger-than-life shoot.
Stay tuned for a release date on the range of swimwear pieces so you can stock up for the summer.
