Merde.
Because it would be rude not to…
Merde [merd] (interjection, nom féminin)
Souhait de bonne chance
Although its origin has not been confirmed, one explanation is that it stems from times when patrons of the ballet would arrive by horse drawn carriage. The larger the audience, the more horses outside the theatre, which meant more ‘merde’ on the streets. Hence a large pile of ‘merde’ outside the theatre would be synonymous for a successful performance.
Another explanation is based on superstition. As wishing ‘good luck’ is considered unlucky and could provoke failure or accidents, using an antonym is believed to prevent bad luck. Additionally, the recipient should not respond with ‘thank you’ as that is also considered unlucky.
The Ballet Mafia Merde Signature Collection has been designed with the only the best wishes in mind. Whether you want to treat yourself or surprise someone close to you, we have a range of amazing products available to choose from.
The current unisex collection includes high quality t-shirts, muscle shirts, flowy long sleeve tops, accessory bags, medium sized cross body bags and large tote bags. All feature the stylish signature silver ‘Merde’ print alongside some obligatory Ballet Mafia magic.
James Stephens,
Former Royal Danish Ballet &
Former Demi Soloist at Wiener Staatsballett,
is wearing the Merde muscle shirt.
Please note:
Products from our Merde Signature Collection will be custom made, as we will not hold any stock. We estimate that it will take ca. 3-4 weeks from placing the order before products will be ready to be shipped (compared to a 2-4 working day turnaround time for skirts).
So please allow for sufficient time when placing your order.
If your order combines products from our Skirts Collection as well as the Merde Signature Collection, we will ship the combined order once all items are available. If you want to split your order to receive the skirts sooner, we will charge additional postage costs.