Tommy John, a brand built on rethinking the foundations of a wardrobe, is now applying its philosophy to the water’s edge. The company, which began in 2008 with Tom Patterson and Erin Fujimoto’s mission to perfect the men’s undershirt, has announced its debut collection of men’s swim shorts. This move echoes a historical pattern in intimate apparel, where expertise in undergarments often informs design for other close-fitting categories. Brands like Jantzen, originally known for its woolen swimsuits, or even early couturiers, understood that mastery of the body’s silhouette starts with the layer closest to the skin.
Tommy John’s approach is distinctly archival in spirit: identify a perennial discomfort and engineer a solution. Here, the target is the traditional mesh liner of swim trunks, often cited for chafing and poor support. The new shorts replace it with a proprietary, quick-dry Air Mesh liner, a direct descendant of the supportive constructions found in modern performance underwear. The two styles—a classic five-inch short and a perforated ‘Air Flow’ model—prioritize technical details like water-repellent fabrics and UPF 50+, framing swimwear as another essential in a comfort-driven wardrobe.
“Swim felt like a natural progression,” explained Fawad Khan, Vice President of Brand and Creative at Tommy John. “We’re applying the same lens of fit and fabric innovation we use for underwear. The liner was the obvious starting point, but the goal was a short that performs in and out of the water.” This expansion follows the 2023 appointment of former Calvin Klein CEO Cheryl Abel-Hodges, signaling a new chapter for the nearly two-decade-old brand. As Tommy John wades into a crowded market, it does so with a curator’s eye, treating the swim short not as a seasonal novelty, but as the next artifact in the evolving history of designed comfort.
Originally reported by WWD