Adam Brown, a photographer with no fashion background, got the idea for Orlebar Brown poolside at a hotel in Rajasthan in February 2005, when he realized he had nothing smart enough to wear from the pool straight to lunch. He and a friend spent 18 months developing tailored swim shorts patterned like a proper suit trouser, selling the first pair to a friend in a Kensington High Street Starbucks in November 2006 before officially launching in March 2007 with 1,000 pairs sold through the brand's website. Daniel Craig wearing the shorts in 2012's Skyfall pushed the brand into wider recognition, and Chanel acquired the company in 2018.