Adam Brown turns 60 in June. While many people greet age milestones with a smile, a shrug, and a cheery “Age is just a number!”, Adam doesn’t share that attitude. “I’m finding it weirdly tricky actually,” he says with a wry smile. “For me, it has become this landmark where I’m thinking, ‘I have about 10 more years when I can physically do the things I want to do. I’d like to experience as many things as I can.’”

Adam is the Co-founder and Creative Director of men’s luxury swimwear and resortwear brand Orlebar Brown. He has travelled far and wide, including a recent adventure in Namibia that blew him away. “I never realised the word ‘desert’ could take so many forms,” he says. But on his travel bucket list are experiences rather than places. 

“I’ve never been in a jungle and I’ve never seen an iceberg,” he ponders. Increasingly over the last decade, Adam has sought out travel with an emphasis on wellness. “Twenty years ago, my holiday would have been Mykonos, Ibiza, or Miami,” he says. “Now, a healthy holiday has become part of my itinerary – I’m enjoying this wellness approach to travel.”

Last year, fed up with the gloomy British winter, Adam visited The Ashram, Jane Fonda’s wellness retreat in California. “It’s very basic, nothing glamorous – you share a bathroom, you have a bed and nothing else,” he smiles. “You do yoga, hike for five hours, have a treatment, play pool volleyball, eat minimally. Their whole belief is ‘Eat less, walk more, laugh always’.” With a slight roll of the eyes, he adds, “You’re woken up at 5am by somebody outside your room playing a flute.”

Hiking is a popular pastime for Adam, who has trekked through Bhutan, Chile, and Patagonia. As well as the physical thrill, he relishes the time to be mindful. “I try to ignore my internal chatter and just be aware of what is around me,” he says. “I want silence and a few hours by myself.”

Swimming is also a hobby for Adam, who takes a cold-water dip every day in a pond near his home in Yorkshire, England. “Absolutely freezing,” he shudders. Swimming feeds his curiosity about the spirituality of wellness. “I totally buy into all of that,” he nods. “I really believe in the benefits of being in water, especially the sea. It feels incredibly healthy, there’s a joy to it.” 

“I’ve also done grounding,” he adds, “where you stand on the grass and really start noticing your body – that’s a weird sensation. Do I suddenly feel years younger as a result? No, but I enjoy the exploratory process.”

While in Dubai, Adam is staying at Siro, the Middle East’s first fitness and recovery hotel. Whenever he travels, he does 45 minutes of yoga every morning in his hotel room. “In the old days, it was lunges and bench presses in the hotel gym, but now it’s about stretching and flexibility. After yoga, I walk out of my hotel room standing straighter and moving better – and I’m ready for the croissants,” he laughs. “Those hotel breakfast buffets are lethal. I fully enjoy everything that’s on offer.”

Wellness tourism has seen a phenomenal surge in recent years – the industry was valued at $815 billion just a few years ago. The Global Wellness Institute says the sector will grow by more than 20 per cent in 2025, with 94 per cent of travellers incorporating wellness into their travels. 

Adam can’t help but bring wellness into his work at Orlebar Brown. “We’re all about sunshine, travel, happiness, and good times, so we’re an innately healthy, outdoorsy brand,” he says. “Wellness isn’t just about going places – it’s about bringing the practice with you wherever you go.”

Visit any five-star resort this summer and you’ll probably spot a guy wearing Orlebar Brown’s swim shorts with their distinctive metal waist buckle. “You can holiday in many different ways, but I think OB is less about dancing on tables in August,” he explains. “Our direction is about being healthy, and that approach affects the fabrics and the fit of our collections.”

Orlebar Brown’s upmarket range of clothing sells well in Dubai, a beach city where people dress up for a lazy day by the pool. And whenever he visits, Adam is struck by the city’s health-minded philosophy. 

“Wellness seems to be everywhere here,” he says. “For example, the spa is often in the lobby of hotels, so the moment you step through the door, the wellness message is presented to you as an opportunity to stay here and feel better. That can only be a good thing.”