BETE NOIR

 Bete Noir – Sport is a sacred rebellion.

A media and apparel lifestyle brand birthed from the dismantled athlete.

A brand that explores the paradox that exists in sports – the space between love and hate, pain and joy, suffering and salvation, and that constant search for liberation.

BN is a movement that challenges the traditional and confirmative pursuit of sport. A look

beneath the statistics-obsessed industry that often leaves performers creatively stunted,

misguided, and lost.

BN represents an expression of ‘athlete’ – a subculture of individuals fueled by a desperate need to be raw, to find purpose and to express themselves.

Sport today is a catalyst that inspires society, that moves us forward, but is often depicted as an activity to enhance well-being and quality of life. Bete Noir is a look at the other side of the

spectrum; sport, not simply to ‘be fit’ but to expose its salvation effect, and the well overlooked, destructive effect in its elite pursuit.I struggled with my own notion of identity after leaving competitive sport.

The process of exposing this message through a photography series brought to life by Ivan Arribas was a

cathartic exercise.

Ivan was able to create and build on concepts of pain, suffering, and redemption.

The series, titled, Pain in Lanes consists of 8 key photographs representing 8 different moments of the athlete’s journey.

His sensitivity behind the camera is unparalleled. Upon observing him work, I drew similarities

with my own story, he too was in trance, finding glimpses of liberation and freedom in every

shot.

Through Ivan and the photography project, Bête Noir was presented to the world and began to take form. A world of emotion captured through one click of the shutter.

Mathilde Delorme

Founder

BETE NOIR – SPORT