Fragrance house

BALR

Founded in November 2013 by former Ajax and Netherlands midfielder Demy de Zeeuw and internet entrepreneurs Ralph de Geus and Juul Manders, BALR. was conceived as an off-the-pitch lifestyle brand inspired by professional footballers’ lives and intended to make that lifestyle more accessible. Its first collection comprised T-shirts featuring the names and birth years of legendary football players, after which the brand expanded into broader premium lifestyle categories. By 2022, its identity was rooted in football while extending to successful athletes, entrepreneurs and artists. That year, BALR. also entered fragrance with the launch of the men’s Reflect eau de parfum and four women’s scents. In July 2025, its parent company filed for bankruptcy amid rising costs, declining sales and accumulated coronavirus-era debt. The following month, Dubai-based Sumwon Studios acquired BALR. and took responsibility for relaunching it, with plans to position the brand at the intersection of football, fashion and lifestyle while retaining its sports-rooted identity.