Eden Park – a luxury French clothing brand inspired by rugby themes, has finally reached Singapore’s shores.
Fronted and co-founded by French rugby legend Franck Mesnel, Eden Park has 536 sale outlets and presence in almost 40 countries, and in Asia there are stores in Taiwan, China, Philippines, and now, Singapore.
Mesnel launches Eden Park fashion line in Singapore.
No better time than now to launch a rugby inspired clothing brand to Singapore
Added Mesnel, 55, “Given Singapore’s recent triumph at the Olympics and positioning as a sports hub in the South East Asia region, there indeed is no better time than now, to launch a rugby inspired clothing line especially with the World Rugby Series 7s set to be hosted here again next year.”
Eden Park is also the formal wear supplier to five successful European rugby teams – England, Wales, Ireland, Italy and France.
Eden Park in Auckland, is New Zealand’s iconic rugby stadium, where the Rugby World Cup 15s champions, the All Blacks play their test matches.
Concept came about due to Mesnel’s 1987 stunt in the French Championship final
Eden Park stores across the world are recognisable by the pink bow tie.
The concept and idea of creating the Eden Park brand, had initially came about due to a 1987 stunt – in the French Championship final that year, when Mesnel and his backline team mates played with a pink bow tie around their necks. The stunt launched the idea of establishing Eden Park, with the pink bow tie motif as an icon to the brand and Franck Mesnel himself. This had also set Mensel in the forefront of reinventing and redefining pink for men.
This was not surprising, due to Mesnel’s passion for both clothing and rugby in equal measure. Mesnel had won the Five Nations games four times when he was part of the team backline in the Racing Club de France rugby team, known as “Le Showbiz” for their high profile stunts such as taking the field in fancy dress and drinking champagne at half time.
Explained Mesnel, “Due to the bow tie that year, we appeared more than 50 times on prime time television. It was crazy. But at the same time it was amazing to see how well known the bow tie had become; so I decided that we had to use it to develop something bigger.”
He added, “So when the idea to work on the rugby jersey, and adapt it to the fashion context came to me, I spoke with an advertising agency to position and consolidate this brand. This has since become our ID to showcase the French casual style for me, with a sports themed influence.”
Franck Mesnel.
Eccentricity and hard work conceptualise the Eden Park brand
Eden Park extends Mesnel’s interpretation of eccentricity and hard work – eccentricity for the originality of its detail and hard work for the label’s unwavering commitment to excellent workmanship. Colours are natural and reflect the ambiance of the Paris quarters: muted tones of grey, beige, brown and blue.
The brand offers comfortable articles, with a kind subtlety in the details which shades into elegance. This love for details has always been one of Eden Park’s key characteristics, with its combination of nonchalance, boldness and discrepancy, right down to the smallest finishing.
For nearly 30 years, this has made Eden Park an unparalleled brand in the world of trendy chic. The appropriation of the sports wear touch with jackets very prominent, can be seen right across the collection, with a multitude of details.
Good balance between clothing and price
Mesnel prides himself on the quality of the Eden Park clothing line. He said, “We have a good balance between quality and price. It is a premium line so the clothes will be expensive, but for that, we are offering good quality, for example our cotton comes from Peru and Italy and we are using the Japanese nylon.”
He continued, “It is essentially a niche brand; I want to be a leader rather than a follower.”
Fragrances and rugby balls symbolising the brand.
Hopes to introduce Singaporeans to French styles
With the Eden Park brand now coming to Singapore, Mesnel hopes to target not only French expats in Singapore, but also the local businessmen. Said the rugby legend, “We are reaching out hopefully to people who are doing a little sports, not only in rugby, but at the same time we hope to cater to business men or anyone who likes the French style. French expats and rugby fans are included but they are not the only target group.”
But it must be noted that the selection at the Singapore store though, is not the full range of clothing that Eden Park offers. Said Mesnel, “The selection in Singapore is more of sports and a bit of club-related fashion, but if the reception is good, we hope to bring in more styles and ranges.”
At the media event.
He added, “But I am confident that buyers will come back for the quality. I am sure they will also appreciate the French taste; my intention is not to be arrogant though and if I can find a way to mix the Singaporean culture into the clothing lines here, then that would be interesting.”
Located at Level Three of Takashimaya Department Store
The Eden Park store in Singapore only stocks menswear and is located at Unit #10-01, Takashimaya Department Store, in Ngee Ann City, 391A Orchard Road.
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