Barbara Boccara and Sharon Krief have conquered America and the world with their wearable designs.
Stainless. It’s been almost twenty years since their baby was born: ba&sh, like Barbara and Sharon, like “French bashing”. But Americans love them! From Sarah Jessica Parker to Jodie Foster, they love their printed, flowing, feminine and easy-to-wear outfits. “We have no training in fashion, we did everything on intuition. They were in their thirties, children and… the two friends were starting to get bored. So why not, yes, do something for themselves, together. Design and sell dresses they would like to wear. Bingo! Conquered by a style that is not complicated to wear and by a good quality-price ratio, customers from 20 to 60 years old find their outfit there. The shops ask them to expand the range, tops, skirts, pants…
Good value for money for customers aged 20 to 60
Ten years later, well established in France, they have to cross borders. In 2015, thanks to a participation of LVMH, they take their momentum towards America. Hire an experienced CEO, Pierre-Arnaud Grenade, who works in marketing. Ba&sh opens a distribution company in New York. Many French brands have broken their teeth on this market due to a lack of on-site control. Not them. By setting up a team dedicated to this continent, ba&sh protects itself. They will do the same for Asia, by launching a HQ in Shanghai. This does not prevent our two adventurers from continuing to work on feeling, whether it is collections or hiring. The personality is more important to them than the CV. For inspiration, head to Barbara’s home in Ibiza twice a year with the creative team. “We meet there in March and September for a week, to work without being interrupted. ” Crisis? the Covid? Don’t know. “Our sales have increased by 20%. Yeah, we’re lucky.”
This success seems so simple. But it took years of stress, failures, learning… while raising still small children, two boys (25 and 28 years old today) and a girl (13 years old) for Barbara, and two big girls for Sharon. In chorus: “We have wonderful children.” Savannah, daughter of Sharon, is the designer of their jewelry line.
Today, they are refining their new ecological and solidarity philosophy: 80% of the fabrics are recycled, the clothes are mainly made in Europe and the Maghreb, and they elect three business leaders each year to provide them with aid, a 50,000 euros and a nice publicity stunt. “Only 3% of women manage to raise funds for their business”, are indignant these businesswomen, who are now thinking of launching a decoration line