Love Brand is all about the good times
Introducing the British swimwear brand that puts nature (and fun) at its heart
For a company on a mission, Love Brand is surprisingly laid back. Yes, the brand was founded back in 2010 in a humble bid to protect wild elephants (with a pleasing ‘Trunks for Trunks’ pun chucked in for good measure). And yes — they contribute a percentage of their total revenue (not their profit) to wildlife causes globally.
But the style here is all about that holiday-spirit — the warm haze of an evening at the beach, or the third beer opened to the hiss of the barbecue.
It’s fun stuff, in other words. And it’s filled with all the simple joy and colour that you’d expect from a brand that puts love front and centre. There are swimming trunks scattered with dusty pink palm fronds; Abaco linen shirts zig-zagged with hippy-lite prints.
The story began in 2010, when founder Oliver Tomalin — a trained architect — turned his attention from buildings to board shorts. At the same time, the designer became intrigued by the plight of the natural world, and was struck in particular by the thought that the elephant could go extinct in his lifetime. And so he decided to bring the two worlds together, in a a “new win-win”
“Our conservation projects are enriched by our brand,” he says. “And likewise our brand is enriched by our purpose in conservation.”
That love of nature is woven into every single one of the brand’s garments. The name of its best-selling Staniel swim short comes from a Bahamian cay; the Pangolin Puzzle trunks boast a tessellating pattern that transforms the silhouette of the endangered animal into something else entirely — perhaps the glinting tiles of a deep blue swimming pool.
(There’s another little love story, as well. Apparently, Oliver designed the brand’s first logo on a napkin on his first date with his wife Rose back in 2010. Ten years on, and they now have two children and still run every aspect of the company together.)
We’re particularly fond of the new collection of short-sleeved, Cuban collared linen shirts (very Talented Mr Ripley, without all the murder and psychopathy), and their stalwart, fun-time shorts, which have a thighsome cut and some cheeky details hidden in their designs. Love Brand is all about the good life. Come on in — the water’s lovely.
Sunspel’s new collection is the solid foundation your spring wardrobe needs…
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