Pater et Filius: Suited for the Pool

Pater et Filius, a Swiss label with a Latin name and a woman at the helm, holds one firm conviction: a man's swim shorts deserve the same tailoring as his trousers

Swim shorts cut like suit trousers, a pyjama called Sprezzatura and a Latin name with a twist: Pater et Filius, Swiss label dressing men poolside.

Consider the average pair of men's swim shorts. Baggy, shapeless, cut from something that dries at roughly the speed of a damp tea towel, and printed with a pineapple their owner would never countenance on dry land. For a garment that makes up most of a man's wardrobe for a fortnight each summer, it receives remarkably little thought.

Pater et Filius thinks about little else. The Swiss label, based in canton Zurich, cuts its swim shorts with a trouser-maker's eye. The Aristocrat has a regular waist, darts at the back to follow the body, slash pockets at the side, a zipped pocket behind and adjustable side fasteners in place of the usual flapping drawstring, closed at the front with a hidden snap and slide. The shell is ECONYL, nylon regenerated from discarded fishing nets and industrial waste and spun by Aquafil in Italy; the lining is quick-dry micro-mesh. Each pair arrives with a monogrammed waterproof pouch for phone and keys, a small courtesy that makes one wonder what everyone else has been doing.

And the name? Latin for "father and son", it suggests a dynasty of Swiss outfitters. The truth is better. The woman behind the label, who trained in art and architecture, found herself "surrounded almost entirely by men, both in my personal and professional life", and decided to dress them properly. Pater, the brand explains, stands for origin and wisdom; Filius for evolution. It began with intimates, premium boxer shorts for the travelling man, and widened from there into swim, linen tops, lounge and the beach.

The references are well chosen: 1950s tailoring, 1970s silhouettes, a summer somewhere between Capri and Biarritz. So are the names. The swim range answers to Aristocrat, Cavaliere, Visconte and The Nobel, while the loungewear arrives in the Rogue Gentlemen's collection, where a pair of shorts called Negroni comes with matching pyjamas called Sprezzatura, and the Rendez-Vous line offers a pyjama named Clandestino. Somebody in Zurich is enjoying themselves.

The fun stops at the cloth. Lounge shorts are made in Italy from Italian cotton poplin, scissor-cut and finished with French seams, a hidden button fly and a compressed cotton logo button on a flat elastic waist. Polos come in a linen and cotton blend made in Turkey. The giant jacquard beach throws, 175 by 150 centimetres of linen, come from a weaver that runs on green energy and reuses its cut-offs. Production stays with European makers to shorten supply lines, runs are limited, some pieces are made to order, and the sea turtle serves as the swimwear's emblem. Sustainability, in the founder's words, is "the skeleton" of the brand rather than its marketing.

The label has turned up in the pages of British GQ and Condé Nast Traveller, which seems about right for a brand that dresses the man who reads both on a sunlounger.

The edit

Model in Pater et Filius grey patterned swim shorts with a lime green waistband, white socks and trainers | The Aficionados

Aristocrat swim shorts, CHF 203. The flagship: tailored, darted, fastened at the side. Navy for the purist, green for the Riviera.

Model in Pater et Filius Rogue Negroni green print lounge shorts with a purple patterned waistband | The Aficionados

Rogue Negroni shorts, CHF 79. Italian poplin for the walk from bedroom to breakfast terrace. Pair with the Sprezzatura pyjama if commitment appeals.

Pater et Filius Morning Tide blue jacquard linen throw, shown folded and rolled with a leather strap | The Aficionados

Morning Tide linen throw, CHF 235. Light blue jacquard linen, generous enough to share, smart enough to stay on the sofa in September.

Leave the pineapple at home.

Discover more at Pater et Filius.