The Rochambeau Club
It was all very clever, very well done - but it was really just another type of hype.
Over the past few years, members-only clubs have taken on a life of their own in the consumer world, with brands actively creating their own - even fake ones. Probably the greatest example of this ever was, and will continue to be, The Rochambeau Club, an institution located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of the French Riviera.
There are an endless number of details in the universe of The Rochambeau. A fictitious tennis club born in 2020 on Instagram that already has more than 12,500 followers and enthusiasts who wish to be part of its treasured list of members. So much so that you can find a map of the place, read its exclusive restaurant’s menu, see which coaches are available for a tennis lesson, find out the real-time temperature on center court, and various other services typical of a society reserved only for the elite.
The website appears to have been designed in by Wes Anderson himself: everything is defined to the millimeter in this fictitious club, Linkedin, and platform Spotify. However the brand, which was imagined by London-based entrepreneur Christopher Seddon and Joseph Bullmore, grew its audience online thanks to Slim Aarons, Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, P. Johnson tailors, retro aesthetic, summer vibes, and highly produced content.
But, you may ask, if it doesn’t actually exist, to what end?
The club is banking on its 'genuine membership' of over 12,500 to naturally transition into real-world customers of their ‘Racquet Rosé’ a wine retailing at £119.99 for a case of six bottles, available in selected London restaurants and bars.
In fact, The Rochambeau Club is a digital-first wine brand based in London. Despite existing solely in the digital realm, it has become a tangible business, registered in the UK as a wholesaler of alcoholic beverages, hinting at future drink offerings inspired by their 80s preppy universe.
The business is now entering real life with its own Racquet Rosé, is now available for non-members to purchase. Bullmore clarifies: “Chris and I have known each other for a long time and have always had a dream of having our own rosé wine. Being two English guys, it’s true that we don’t have any origins or family ties to rosé, so that could be a problem, but we’re big fans. So we thought it was best to come up with a good, fun, and detailed story for our rosé.” Bullmore, a writer and journalist first and foremost, saw this conceptual gap as an opportunity to create something new. “The rosé market is very saturated, but it’s still a very fun, get-together, celebrate-with-friends drink. People are not snobbish about rosé,” says the creator of the world’s most distinguished fictional club.
The brand has released The Rochambeau Club’s Racquet 2022, a blend of Syrah, Cinsault, Grenache Noir, and Rolle, made in partnership with Provence-based Alexis Cornu and exhibiting a refreshing palate of white peach and citrus. All this does not detract from the fact that there has been some confusion about the club and its existence. “We’ve received some strange responses and comments: people saying they’ve been to the club — which is impossible — creative directors from big brands who wanted to go to the place for a photo shoot, messages along the lines of ‘I’m going to be in Provence, I can’t wait to go!’ A lot of people think it’s real. As far as I know, no one has been there,” laughs Bullmore.