Parisian Equestrian Brand Dada Sport Taps Mathilde Pinault as Ambassador

Mathilde Pinault Dada Sport — Mathilde Pinault discovered Dada Sport when she looked for handsome airbag riding vests. Sophie Jacoby/Courtesy of Dada Sport

GIDDY UP: Paris-based label Dada Sport has tapped rising equestrian Mathilde Pinault as ambassador.

“Mathilde is super determined, leading an athletic career and studies in parallel while staying humble,” said the brand’s chief executive officer and founder Caroline Boudier, adding that the athlete’s “young and dynamic personality” was in sync with the label’s vibe.

The 22-year-old, who is the daughter of Kering chairman and CEO François-Henri Pinault through his first marriage, studies finance at the Emlyon business school in the Southeastern city of Lyon. A rising star in jumping, she hopes to represent France at the 2028 Olympic Games.

Beyond appreciating the brand’s ability to offer elegant wares and “answers the needs that we have as competitors in a demanding sport,” Pinault also felt that “as a young woman, it is also important to be supported by a female-led brand.”

Founded in 2012 by Boudier, a keen rider with a knack for entrepreneurship, the French brand offers horse-riding garments meant to be worn while practicing the sport but also in everyday life. It counts the likes of Kaley Cuoco and Zozia Mamet among its clients and supports riders such as Olympian show jumper Henrik von Eckermann.

Wanting to “honor your horse by being as elegant as it is” led Boudier to draw up her first designs after noticing a gap in the market. The brand owes its name to the cute “dada” moniker for horses young French children use.

“In people’s minds, horse-riding is seen as very chic, elegant but in reality, you didn’t have much style-wise,” she said. “My idea was to offer feminine, flattering designs that could also be worn in daily life and are easy to live with.”

Dada Sport’s initial offering included white riding pants, a rain jacket and a soft-shell cover-up. “Most equestrian brands start with the competition blazer but we wanted to start by the useful side,” the founder said.

What really put the brand on the equestrian-circuit map was their airbag protection vest design, which also kickstarted the relationship with Pinault.

“When I wanted to ride using an airbag [protection vest], Dada Sport was the only one who offered a cover-up that was aesthetically pleasing and elegant,” the new ambassador told WWD, adding that she’d had her eye on the brand since she started competing aged 14.

“Safety gear has to be beautiful if you expect people to adopt it fast,” Boudier said.

But where Dada Sport really hit the motherlode is among a thirtysomething clientele who wants to look polished while going on a school run, to yoga and the office, taking advantage of the properties of the Italian-made technical textiles the brand uses.

Headquartered in Paris, the French company now counts 15 people, including a five-person studio team with Boudier as creative director, and its offering has grown to some 50 references, ranging from dress shirts and smartly tailored blazers to puffer coats and second-skin breathable tops. A handful of accessories is also in the mix, including mittens, visors and caps. Men’s styles were introduced in July.

Bestsellers include their Giovani riding trousers but also the recently launched Ursovo blouson. According to the brand, 70 percent of the collection is carryover styles.

Repeat orders amount for almost half of the brand’s business to date, Boudier said. “We are attentive to our clients’ feedback and tend to evolve designs as technical innovations rather than purely style-driven updates,” she continued, pointing out the slimed down closures of the New Kit shaping riding trousers.

A look from the fall collection of Dada Sport. Courtesy of Dada Sport

Congruent with horse-riding’s connection with nature, Boudier was adamant to produce and run the brand as sustainably as possible, from sourcing and compostable packaging to having a pre-loved section on their site, launched last year.

Sold direct-to-consumer in France through its website and pop-ups at equestrian competitions before opening to wholesale for export three years ago, the French company’s turnover has reached “a few million euros annually,” although Boudier declined to share exact figures.

Positioned “at the cusp of luxury,” the brand is priced between $84 for a simple top and up to $886 for a mid-length puffer coat. The U.S., accounting for 30 percent of overall sales, is its first market, followed by France taking a 15 to 20 percent slice. Dada Sport has also made significant inroads in the U.K., South Korea and Switzerland mainly through equestrian specialty boutiques.