Integrating free personal expression with relaxed and pleasant elegance, and at the same time with a touch of bohemian unrestrained style, ba&sh, a French luxury brand, always maintains this distinctive Parisian style. Co-founders Barbara Boccara and Sharon Krief left their relatively stable public relations and legal industry jobs in 2003. With the belief of "bringing the dream wardrobe into reality and sharing it with other women", they resolutely founded this fashion brand. Boccara and Krief integrated their close friendship into the brand, combined the names, and the brand name ba&sh was born. Combining hard work and luck, Boccara and Krief, who have never received professional fashion training, became the best shortly after entering the fashion circle. With its unique interpretation of French style and feminine beauty, ba&sh has opened more than 400 stores around the world.
From the perspective of women, it is specially created for women – this is the design philosophy that ba&sh has retained since its launch. Being women themselves, Boccara and Krief understand the challenges and dilemmas that women may face in society because of gender, and put female empowerment at the core of their clothing and social commitment. On the other hand, ba&sh tries to work with the society to build a more equal, inclusive and open society through the use of sustainable materials and joint courses on anti-discrimination with UNESCO. This time, "Supreme" had a dialogue with brand founders Boccara and Krief about women's entrepreneurship, changes in the fashion industry, and the impact of the epidemic on business, hoping to bring fresh thinking to readers.
Supreme: Your original idea of establishing ba&sh was to "make the dream wardrobe a reality". But leaving your then full-time positions in PR and law to build your own brand required more than a vision. What was the main catalyst for this bold move?
Krief: Back then, we had nothing to lose and everything to gain. We've both always loved fashion and every time we go on vacation we're excited to explore new stores and discover new trends. We weren't even sure we wanted to do the job until the opportunity arose, but we're all so glad we took the plunge.
Supreme: None of you have a formal fashion design study background. What difficulties did you encounter in the early days of brand establishment?
Krief: We recognized the need to find our place in fashion. In the early stages of the brand, there were not many options between the extremes of fast fashion and luxury. Many emerging brands and ba&sh appeared at the same time, creating this new market: affordable luxury brands.
Boccara: The brand has been growing very organically, continuously, and rapidly. This kind of momentum will feel a bit unmanageable for us two women who are starting from scratch and learning on the road. We felt as if we were in the driver's seat of the race car, and it felt overwhelming at times.
Supreme: How has ba&sh developed since its establishment in 2003?
Boccara: There are not many big changes, one thing we are proud of is staying true to our original intention. Our style has remained consistent over the years. What has changed is that, through fashion, we are not only speaking to women of our generation, but even beginning to resonate with generations before and after us.
Krief: ba&sh women are still curious, confident, free, but not as influenced by celebrities or other figures as they were 20 years ago. They like to take inspiration from others, but they don't follow the crowd when it comes down to it. She only wears what she thinks is beautiful, and never wears what doesn't suit her—even if those items are currently considered the most fashionable.
Supreme: Can you share with us the design process of ba&sh? How to transform an abstract inspiration into a tangible fashion item?
Krief: We are always looking for inspiration, images from the street, books or magazines… wherever.
Boccara: At the start of each season, we go to my house in Ibiza with the whole design team, which allows us to be fully involved in the creative process and fully present our ideas, unlike when we are in Paris are often disturbed by the outside world. Then we start making decisions about the colours, cuts, patterns, etc. of the collection… Besides the design itself, we always think about the quality of the product and the carbon footprint. We are proud to say that 55% of ba&sh products are certified responsible. We are completely transparent about our supply chain; we use organic cotton, fully certified leather, viscose from sustainably managed forests. Once the design was finalized, we started fitting testing with a larger team.
Zhizun: Ba&sh has more than 400 stores around the world. What do you think makes such rapid international market expansion possible?
Krief: Diversity – Our goal is to create a dream wardrobe for women from all over the world. We want anyone, no matter what her style or lifestyle, to walk into our store and find a coveted fashion piece for every occasion. We want women to feel their best when wearing ba&sh.
Supreme: Both of you are female entrepreneurs. Based on your experiences, what do you think are the biggest hurdles women leaders face?
Boccara: We often question the rationality of our actions and decisions. Because we are all self-taught and have not experienced the fashion industry apprenticeship like most fashion designers. At first, it was challenging to overcome our fears and stand up for something even though we knew we were right.
Krief: We are a two-person startup, which helps a lot because it gives us double the confidence. For example, sometimes we are told by others not to do something, and we know very well that it is exactly what we want. When we have a partner, we have more confidence to ignore those who always give you negative feedback and tell you not to try. people.
Supreme: What advice do you have for the next generation of female leaders and entrepreneurs?
Boccara: We define success by measuring the positive social impact our brand can have. As a leader, it is important to fight for a bigger purpose and always aim higher and better.
Krief: From day one, we've always wanted to give our work more meaning by helping as many people as possible. Ba&sh donates fabrics, clothing and financial assistance to various charities – notably an orphanage we have supported but not mentioned to the public. It's not that we have to show off and flaunt ourselves, we just think that, as leaders, we should help those who are really in need.
Supreme: Female empowerment, diversity and inclusion are at the core of your brand values. What challenges did you face when trying to make real change in your work environment and community?
Krief: ba&sh represents each employee's own adventure and growth, which we are proud of. Everyone is connected through ba&sh, and real friendship stories are woven into business operations… which means disagreements are bound to happen. Incorporating so many different minds from creative people into one brand is a challenge, but essentially it means constantly growing, evolving, and constantly creating something beautiful that permeates everyone's different way of life.
Zhizun: How does the new crown epidemic affect your future business management and business strategy?
Krief: The most interesting thing about the impact of the pandemic is seeing how our customers' buying behavior has shifted. They are no longer buying clothes that can only be used for special occasions, but more classic and versatile pieces. This shift in consumer buying behavior requires us to make improvements faster than ever to adapt to our customers' needs.
Boccara : With the movement of people during the new crown, we also see how the geography of retail will change a lot. For example, during COVID, a lot of our customers who lived in New York moved to the Hamptons, so we added a store there. We also saw a lot of our West Coast clients move to Aspen, so we opened a local pop-up with a focus on fun, high-engagement events.
