BRAK, ÈVE HERRY’S BALACLAVAS

Between Paris and Brussels, a girl and a boy are determined to make us wear balaclavas in winter and maybe even in summer. At first glance, Eve Herry looks like a creative and Nicolas Frament like an entrepreneur. But the one who dreamed of being a freelancer discovered herself as an entrepreneur and the one who had no great curiosity for textiles became captivated with wool. It's not surprising that these smart heads have chosen the balaclava as their favorite accessory.

In my living room a curious meeting is taking place. Eve shows me one of the first prototypes of balaclava in zebra jacquard that she has developed with her partner Nicolas, attending via video from Brussels. The day before our meeting, I saw Justin Bieber masked giving a concert for the Met Gala. The "balaclava" in English, endorsed by pop culture stars? From Miu Miu to Helmstedt to Zara and now Brak, the balaclava is coming.

Belgian-style hold-up

"I know that many children were traumatized by balaclavas, but that's not my case. On the contrary, the balaclava for me was like a knight's helmet. I felt warm and protected," says Nicolas. This Brussels-native and graduate of IÉSEG in entrepreneurship and innovation always knew he wanted to start his own business. When Eve, who he has known since high school, told him about her balaclava project, Nicolas was immediately seduced by her idea. After graduating from Penninghen and Strate, and then from the Institut Français de la Mode with a Master of Arts in Fashion Design in Image, Eve admits that she never thought she would create her own company. "At first, I just wanted to create a balaclava for myself. The ones I found were too expensive or affordable but in materials I didn't like. Little by little, the idea grew in my head to relaunch this under-appreciated, yet so useful product." Among their many name options, "Brak" caught their attention. A short, effective name directly inspired by the stereotype of bank robbers with necessarily black hoods. Eve and Nicolas are determined to break the fashion scene with humor and color. "In order to start my own company, I asked myself what was stopping me from doing it. The fear of not succeeding? The look of others? When our friends saw our balaclavas and our Instagram account, I saw them change their minds and it was already a first victory" confides Eve. The two friends invest part of their savings in Brak and continue to work in parallel. Eve is particularly passionate about photography, video, and scenography, and cultivates this multi-talented side.

Pretty not itchy 

Eve admits "the balaclava has several issues. It's not an accessory that everyone thinks they can wear. People always imagine that it's itchy. And finally, they're afraid of having a weird head." Far from being discouraged by these prejudices, Eve and Nicolas are convinced that the accessory can become as common as a beanie. By choosing a natural material, a merino wool sourced in Italy, they make the promise of an accessory that is neither too warm nor too cold. This self-regulating material allows the balaclava to be worn longer than 3 months out of the year. "Thanks to the extra fine merino wool, soft and with a certain elasticity, we want to chase away preconceptions and show that the balaclava is nice to wear." Their one size fits all model exists in 2 versions, the first one is classic, the second one has a twist for long hair; an opening above the neck to let the ponytail through. For the manufacturing, they found a workshop near Lyon. The labels come from the UK and the final embroidery is done in Brussels. On their online store, these balaclavas are sold for 95 euros. Eve and Nicolas prefer that the balaclavas please for their design and their material rather than making their European production system a selling point.

Double-headed

Though Eve designed the first prototype, she also called on friends to refine the pattern or learn the basics of knitting. The logo was designed by another friend and IFM graduate Louise Cirou. " Eve was able to rely on her IFM network and we met many people who were able to help us. That's what's so exciting about this adventure, we're getting better and better at what we do," Nicolas enthuses. For their last shooting entitled "Brak Tour", they imagined a fake class trip to Montmartre by calling on their friends. This nice gang wear all the colors of the Brak rainbow that can be found on their eshop: electric blue, green light, pink cadillac, white heat ... In all their images and videos, they like to play with the absurd, with the shift. On their Instagram account, the balaclava adorns faces with XXL necks, is worn with a swimsuit, or is embedded in paintings as on the face of Girl with a Pearl Earring. A universe with a singular artistic direction that resembles the duo. "We work with the last word. Eve has the last word for the creative part and I for the business part. But the most interesting thing is to be able to exchange, that's how we get the best ideas."

The Brak Generation 

When they imagine the future of Brak, Eve and Nicolas have a thousand projects. More and more offbeat shootings, collaborations with artists around the balaclava with the deep desire to democratize this accessory, or to call upon a fashion designer profile to push their product further. In the meantime, as private as each other on Instagram, they want all the light to be on their accessory that hides and reveals at the same time. After a first pop-up in October in Paris, they know that it is by making people try on their balaclavas that they will succeed in seducing the most timid.  Brak, a cool, daring brand, with quality products and a certain self-deprecation, that's how Eve and Nicolas would like their brand to be defined. "I like the idea that our balaclava is like a ray of sunshine in the grey of winter. That people smile, that they are proud to wear it" concludes Nicolas. Like the Belgian rapper Romeo Elvis, one of the first to be convinced. The "Brak" generation is on the move, ready to take the fashion industry by storm.