Vilebrequin

I've always admired this small, exquisite, pristine one-story building in SOHO on West Broadway (actually I have learned it is technically an extension of the neighboring building). The white-painted wood exterior, canvas awnings, the atmospheric lighting and the glow in the evening, the beautiful, neatly arranged merchandise in vibrant colors and patterns - the shop feels like a doorway to the South of France. In the 1970s, Fred Pryskel, living in St. Tropez, fashioned the first boxer swim trunks from a checkered tablecloth. He then improved on the fabric, using a fast drying spinnaker sailcloth. The polyamide fabric has a soft, cottony feel. The first store opened in France in 1996; there are now 55 stores worldwide. And of course they have a site: Vilebrequin.com. American CEO Thierry Prissert brought the concept to the US, opening the first store in NYC in 1999. The pricey clothing line, primarily men's swimware, has been popular with notoriety and celebrity since its inception (with the Brigitte Bardot crowd) to its current roster - British Prime Minister, Brad Pitt, Hugh Grant, Robert De Niro, etc.
By the way, the name Vilebrequin is quite whimsical - Pryskel's passion for auto racing led to using the word, which means crankshaft in French...