Founded in 2017 by childhood friends Ben James Boon and Harry Cromwell Griffiths, James Cromwell was born to disrupt the swimwear market. They identified a gap in the market for a high quality product at a reasonable price point.

It took eight months to get to the first 300 pairs. They landed in late 2017, well past the summer they'd hoped to launch into. The first orders trickled in at Christmas fairs. A five-star spa hotel became the first stockist, after two slow days at a January trade show. The Sunday Times Travel Magazine ran the brand a few months after that.

A lot happened in the years that followed. A Kickstarter that didn't get off the ground. Country fairs where the prosecco moved faster than the shorts. Photography that had to be redone. Advertising that taught them more about what didn't work than what did. The first £1,000 day online, on an August bank holiday 2019. Eventually, the move out of Ben's family home into a proper warehouse and office.

The past years have been breathtaking, taking the brand across the globe and creating designs that stand out along the way.

2026 is a rebuild. The founding belief hasn't changed, but everything around it has been pulled apart and put back together. The product. The packaging. The website. How we talk to customers and how we show up.

The brand is also growing into something bigger. Premium swimwear and resort wear is the foundation. Travel essentials are next. Built to the same standard.

There's still a long way to go. Thanks for being here.

The James Cromwell London team