Tommy John is getting into the swimwear space.

Founded by Tom Patterson and his wife Erin Fujimoto in 2008 as a men’s underwear brand, launched with its Stay-Tucked undershirt, the company has expanded over the years into a wide range of men’s and women’s essentials.

Now, it’s bringing that same focus on fit and comfort to men’s bathing suits. The launch collection will feature two models of men’s swim shorts, both of which address the perennial complaint about uncomfortable mesh linings.

The Classic Swim Short is five inches and features a water-repellent outer fabric with a moisture-wicking liner and UPF 50+ sun protection. The Air Flow is created from a perforated fabric for breathability, quick-dry performance and four-way stretch. Both include a supportive quick-dry liner inspired by Tommy John underwear along with side seam pockets, elastic drawstring waists and hidden rear zip pockets.

“Swim is a natural next step for us,” said Fawad Khan, vice president of brand and creative at Tommy John. “We’ve spent years building trust with our customers around comfort, fit and fabric innovation in everyday essentials and swim is a category where those same pain points still exist. Traditional swim trunks haven’t evolved much, especially when it comes to the liner, so we saw an opportunity to bring a more considered, comfort-driven approach to a category that’s long overdue for it. This felt especially relevant as customers are refreshing their wardrobes for the spring and summer season and looking for pieces that can perform across multiple settings.”

Although swim is a crowded category, Khan believes Tommy John has an advantage because of its history in the underwear space.

“We approached swim the same way we approach underwear — by putting comfort first,” he said. “The biggest issue we heard from people was the inner liner. Traditional mesh can bunch, chafe and lack support, so we reengineered it with a longer-length, breathable Air Mesh liner that delivers support without irritation. At the same time, we were very intentional about the overall design, so the product feels just as appropriate out and about as it does in the water. We also incorporated performance-driven details like water-repellent fabrics, quick-dry construction and UPF protection, so the product delivers across both comfort and functionality.”

Although he declined to say what other categories Tommy John may be considering, Kahn said the company is “always looking at where we can solve an existing issue with fit and comfort in one’s wardrobe. Swim is the latest extension of our broader vision to build a full wardrobe of comfort-driven essentials. Nearly 20 years in since Tommy John was first founded, we feel like we’re just getting started.”

The swimwear officially launches on Thursday.

In September 2023, when the company had sales of $100 million, Tommy John brought Cheryl Abel-Hodges on board as chief executive officer. The former CEO of Calvin Klein was the first outsider to run the company. At that point, Patterson and Fujimoto transitioned to strategic advisers to the brand.