About Eden Park

The Eden Park story began in 1987 when two international rugby players from Racing Club de France - one of the world’s most prestigious multi-sport clubs – decided to create a high-end fashion brand. Franck Mesnel and Eric Blanc, both students at the time, put their creative and offbeat talents together, inventing a brand whose inspiration and codes are based on authentic and amazing true-life events.

Playing for Racing Club in France’s national First Division championship, Mesnel, Blanc and their mates got up to all sorts of zany tricks. They took the field wearing Basque Berets, Bermuda Shorts, or blazers, with their faces painted black or their boots painted gold. Their quirky humour culminated in the Pink Bow-Tie they donned to play inTWO grand finals of the French championship (1987, 1990) live on national TV in front of 50,000 people at the Parc des Princes... a symbol of their offbeat philosophy, the very essence of ‘Showbizz’, which became that of the Eden Park brand. Keeping to the rules was a part of their life. But breaking them was what they stood for. And ‘Carpe Diem’ was their philosophy.

The idea of the Pink Bow-Tie was born shortly before the final in 1987. They had to find something, a symbol to illustrate their particular state of mind for this historic day, a unique event which deserved to be celebrated wearing their “Number One” uniform, the tuxedo. It was Eric Blanc who came up with the idea of retaining just the Bow-Tie, although choosing it in pink to give it a more festive touch. This pink colour was also reminiscent of their team mascot – the famous panther in the same pastel tone – and the long pink boxer shorts they occasionally wore under their Racing Club shorts on the field of play. As for the name Eden Park, it was Franck Mesnel who brought it back from New Zealand, after playing for France against the All Blacks in the inaugural 1987 Rugby World Cup final on the mythical Eden Park pitch in Auckland. Driven by their love of paradox and attention to detail, Franck Mesnel and Eric Blanc created a genuine Eden Park style, the legitimate icon of which is the Rugby jersey in all its shapes and forms.