Eden Park, or the transformed essay of a group of friends

Created more than 35 years ago, Eden Park continues to develop in France and abroad. The brand with the pink bow tie ensures that it maintains the values ​​of rugby from its beginnings.

The story of Eden Park begins with a sort of magic trick: how to transform a Basque beret into a pink bow tie?

It all started with a group of friends from the Racing rugby club, near Paris, one of whom suggested, to highlight his origins and values, to play with a beret. Deal. But it does not stop there. When a few months later, in May 1987, in the championship final, the Racingmen faced Toulon, the journalists challenged the players: would they dare to present themselves with a new accessory? This will be the pink bow tie.

“The basic idea was to play in a tuxedo, says Franck Mesnel, one of the founders of Eden Park. But that wasn’t possible, so we just kept the bow tie. And pink was the emblem of the club before me. Some were already playing with pink underwear, for example.”

As for the name Eden Park, it is that of the legendary stadium of the All Backs, the New Zealand team. Where Franck Mesnel went to play in the 1987 World Cup final. “There was legitimacy in mixing this mythical name with the more French history of this bow tie.”

With 70 stores and a turnover of 80 million euros, Eden Park has established itself as a benchmark brand in France, but also in many countries. The brand now hopes to expand in the United States, via online commerce.

The brand’s clothing is produced in Peru, Portugal and even Eastern Europe. So no Made in France at Eden Park. “The revival of textiles in France could only be achieved, to caricature, by replacing men with machines, defends Franck Mesnel. The problem is the cost of payroll. If we’re talking about Europe, that’s not bad.”