Vilebrequin Partners with Jean-Charles de Castelbajac for Kaleidoscopic New Collection

08 May 2019

The seaside brand from Saint Tropez and the celebrated French designer come together to create a playful and original capsule collection for her and for him. It’s a high-color collaboration for a sport-chic wardrobe.

The southern French brand and the Parisian designer both found their start in 1971. Castelbajac naturally dove back into this era to imagine his collection for Vilebrequin. There is no nostalgia in his vision, just an appetite for the freshness of those carefree years. Roland Herlory, CEO of Vilebrequin, affirms that “The Vilebrequin woman is characterized by her taste for playfulness, refinement and quality. It’s a difficult line to tread – and one Jean-Charles navigates with remarkable finesse.”

When he looks at the roots of Vilebrequin, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac sees first and foremost a beautiful story of seduction: 1971, a beach in Saint Tropez, a man creates an absolutely unique swimsuit to please a woman. This love story is the starting point of this year’s sequel, one that is inevitably as playful, light, and free as summer love.

To seduce this woman, the designer gives her beautiful pieces with “details that kill.” Castelbajac has imagined maillots that are both sporty and sexy, along with layered and dimensional bikinis. The collection also includes dresses that can be worn as much on the beach as they can in the city, left loose and flowing, or belted at the waist. Rompers, skirts, t-shirt, shorts, and overalls can also be found in the collection, accompanied by equally colorful beach accessories, including bags, hats, beach towels, and flip flops.

Castelbajac himself states that “This collection is innovative and carries the idea of clothing with which you can play and reinvent yourself. An epitome of sporty chic!” He shares this playfulness with women through the saturated prints of his swimwear designs.

This pop-inspired collection is sensual and colorful, infused with the sporty spirit precious to its creator. It allows function to set the tone for creative freedom with pieces that can be built up and taken down like LEGO. The few clouds scattered among the colorful prints are only there to emphasize the blue sky and invite rainbows.

The collection Vilebrequin x JCC+ is comprised of over forty pieces – a dozen for men and thirty for women – with prices ranging from $50 to $465. The collection is now available in select boutiques and on vilebrequin.com.