12th May 13h57  For the third year in a row Bourgeois Boheme has scooped up a PETA
Proggy Award. We are super-duper chuffed to have been awarded the Best
Cruelty-Free Online Vendor. Very nice.
8th May 15h36  We've just received a very large box filled to the top with gorgeous raw
chocolate. Yum! The office was a-buzz until we realised that we couldn't eat it because its for you! The Raw Chocolate Company have kindly given us 50 raw chocolate bars (although by tomorrow it may only be 49) for our SHOP OPENING; we're giving a goodie bag (filled with lovely vegan munchies, bath bits and other things) to the first 50 guests who arrive at our shop opening on the 17th May. We'll see you there. See our below blog for details.
24th April 10h29
BoBo's Shop is Open! If you haven't heard the big news already, the BoBo shop is open! And its the very first vegan fashion store in London. We don't just step out in style, we're a step ahead in style too. We're having an official BoBo bash on the 17th May to celebrate, so please RSVP and come along. By the way: did you know that RSVP means Répondez S'il Vous Plaît (French: Please Reply; commonly seen on invitations) or Residential Street Vitality Program (which we kind of feel we're doing to our street just by opening a vegan store) or Resolve to Stop the Violence Project. We reckon we're good for all of those. 
9th April 17:00  Swanky Veg is hosted by gorgeous from head to toes Ali Berman, model, writer and animal rights activist (photo below)  Ali created Swanky Veg blog to give you info and links to the latest trends, best deals, new
accessories and always cruelty free items no matter what your budget,
for your busy and compassionate life. Comment from Swanky Veg: "Check out Bourgeois Boheme’s collection and treat yourself to a belt.
We know it feels like a huge luxury - keeping your pants up and all,
but don’t worry. You can do it"...
We at BoBo have enough belts - of different colors, sizes and styles for men and women to keep your pants up and to add even more swankyness to your looks ;)
7th April 15h29 Last week the BoBo team put on their party gear and headed to Old Street for a PETA UK event at London's latest and loveliest vegan hot spot, SAF (Simple Authentic Food). If you've not yet been lucky enough to savour the wonders of raw-food you're sorely missing out on one of the most yummy-to-tummy vegan food adventures around- don't think rabbit food, think gourmet delicious! Alicia looked ultra-sharp in her BoBo Lalitas and, if there had been such a bizarre thing as a most-stylish-vegan-men's-shoes-competition, Van would have been the clear winner of course! He styled the lovely Pensadors and garnered much admiration. So the food was super-duper yummy. All hail the chef. We're still going on about SAF's raw chocolate mousse cake. Yummy!
6th April 11h00  Don't know what Carbon monoxide, Greywater, Hydrofluorocarbons or Vermicomposting is? Learn "ABC" of ecoworriers at the Green Glossary on Life Goggles blog and impress your friends or colleagues with the new green terms in your vocabulary. Life Goggles is an eco blog started by two twin brothers, Adam and Joel. Adam is blogging from London and Joel from San Diego, California. Double power fighting for environment! Adam and Joel think that love for environment is worth a prize. Watch out for the Life Goggles massive competition to give away a lot of green stuff that is about to be launched! Thanks for featuring our shoes, folks!
27th March 16:00  "We don't believe in buying green and ethical just because it's the
right thing to do. We think it's the smart thing to do -- the products
are often better designed, usually better for your health and wealth,
and always better for the planet," - says Smart Planet, website about conscious living and consuming that covers everything from transport to beauty. Smart Planet writer Mathew Sparks suggests to "walk a mile in Bourgeois Boheme new shoes" in his article about our recent Espiritual and Jiva launch. Thanks, Mathew! Bourgeois Boheme would only like to add that one could also drive a mile, cycle several miles, dance for hours in BoBo new shoes and let them guide her towards new adventures. Write us about fun, unusual, amazing things you've done with BoBo shoes on your feet and you may win a prize, just like Alexis!
26th March 13h40  Style saves the world, so does Meg Donohue in her Style Saves the World blog. Meg is a blogger-writer-journalist, who wrote for msn, aol, cnn.com and Vegetarian Times! Her moto is "Be glam. Live green". At www.stylesavestheworld.blogspot.com you will find lots of green tips on how to live with glam and style. Hopefully our animal print ballerinas somehow contribute to saving the world too!
20th March 12h30  A carnivore, who was on the Hollywood best dressed list turned vegetarian and found himslef on the worst-dressed list, and then became vegan, Stylish Vegan. When Jerry decided to be both vegan and stylish, he went on a crusade searching for fashionable men's vegan clothes and shoes on the web and created www.thestylishvegan.com, where he complemented us on our Espiritual range. How flattering! Jerry, you've got the girls in the office intrigued - send us your photo in your best suit!
19th March 16h51 The Soya DebateOn the subject of soya and environmentalism, we found a really good article published on guardian.co.uk in which the pro's and con's of soya production are discussed with the 'The King of Soya'. Its an interesting fact that most soya is in fact produced as cheap and effective livestock feed. Not even the soya bean remains innocent in the modern age! Its interesting (high-protein) reading.
17th March 16h09 My organic box scheme is just not working out for me this Easter, so I visited Sainsbury's earlier today to buy some vegetables for my rather empty-looking fridge. I picked up a bag of very English-looking apples (my favourite); spied out some lovely grapes (and then decided against them, they're from South Africa); ambled over to the organic plums, which won me out until I realised they were from Argentina. Well how about Pears? No, they're also from another continent. I then realised my lovely 'English' apples were from Argentina too. Almost empty-handed I thought to visit the vegetables. Ooo spinach, but packaged in the thickest, meanest looking plastic I've ever seen- you could fix a leaking roof with it. Vegetarian/Vegan may be touted as a much more eco-friendly option diet-wise, but is it really so great when all our food is packaged in plastic, sprayed with poisons (in the case of non-organic) and brought from miles away? A BoBo friend saw a documentary this weekend on how soya production is ravaging forests in South America and it does make you wonder, if your thinking truly eco-friendly is pre-packaged and processed soya really a better answer to meat? I'm talking strictly eco-wise, soya is of course without a shadow of a doubt the compassionate choice. So how far do we need to go to get back to what I call a 'real-meal'? I imagine a real-meal to be food grown in our own environments, prepared simply and freshly, without the need for packaging and over-processing. It is an ideal, but an entirely reachable ideal I think. I always say to Mo, our BoBo friend, "perhaps its not perfect but we're all doing the best we can." I'm sure that compassionate is always best, that local is possibly better than flown-from-across-the globe-organic, and local and organic is tops in all ways. I still do love my quinoa and cocao nibs, and every now and again the grapes from South Africa are just too tempting, the Pineapples from Ghana too. Perhaps we all just need to strike a balance. I left Sainbury's without a thing in my hand today and signed on to another box-scheme for this week. I'm soon to receive a wonderful box of delicious-veggie-all-sorts, grown in this country, and somewhere near. Its goes to show, its really not so hard. Great box schemes: RiverfordAbel and Cole
14th March 11.50 am  Their office is run on green electricity and their site is hosted with a 100% wind powered hosting company. All Things Eco, we are impressed! ATE is a family run eco portal and is a must to add to your favorites if you are committed to living greener. We were proud to see our new shoes range featured in their news section - http://www.allthingseco.co.uk/Eco%20News%20-%20February.php
12th March 1150 Is being Green Costing you the Earth?  Giles Miller has come up with a bag made from part-recycled and sustainably-sourced corrugated cardboard with leather (a no no from us and not so green) straps. The bag will reduce your bank balance by £180! It says somewhere that the designer is able to manipulate the material into patterns and shapes never-before achieved through such an apparently mundane material, but is the price tag not really taking the mickey and exploiting the green agenda? Hey I am all for green fashion but should it only be reserved for the rich? Would you pay £180 for a piece of cardboard? I know I wouldn't. Alicia
10th March 15h30
 "The G Living Network is all about a next-generation lifestyle simply called "G."
The "G" Lifestyle is about products and services that are so well designed they become objects of desire. ..It's all about design, technology, knowledge, style, food, having fun and re-thinking how we live now and how we should live in the future ".
Let's get it straight: Bourgeois Boheme shoes became a G-living object, object of a "G" generation desire, and that's why they - Good, Gorgeous and Glamorous - were spotted by an ethical fashion writer Winston Gieseke. G, we got it! http://gliving.tv/fashion/bourgeois-boheme-turns-the-other-foot/
7th March 15h56
 BoBo is taking over cyberspace byte-by-byte: blog masters discover us, and we discover them... The Discerning Brute - blog by the ethically fabulous man Joshua Katcher for think-alikes. Joshua is Brooklyn-based artist, lifestyle-television producer , environmentalist, vegan, and social justice advocate. Joshua, you are a busy guy! What about a pair of Pacificador?
7th March 15h03
We've been told to put keywords into our blog so that people will look at it.
So here goes:
veganshoesveganshoesveganshoesveganshoes vegan shoes, we don't like leather, super-stylish fashionista, downright gorgeous compassionista.
We've got a few musicians in the office and (as you can tell) we're working on our very first rap single! ... and learning how to generate traffic.
28th February 17h29
Ooooo, things are busy in BoBo-land, but not so busy that we haven't had time to fool about with our stickers.
Here's Kate (with eyes closed as usual- she can't take the bright lights of fame) and Alicia (with red eye brows- watch out Vivienne Westwood).
The little, pointy stickers are the pointers that we use to mark what we like in the look-books- Vika is red and Kate is green and Alicia has the final say. Well almost.
Next time on the blog:
Vika and Kate (and Mo, who does not work for BoBo but is a super-duper guy) were packing your lovely orders and hankering on about the effects of the meat industry on the environment. Then Sal (who also doesn't work for BoBo and is also a super-duper guy) joined in and got going on the subject of North American Indians and how they used to manage their environment sustainably... somehow we got onto Vietnam (who knows how these conversations comes about). Anyway, some interesting points were made, which we'll try to share with you later... if we remember what it is we were saying.
22nd February 16h37
Its been a day of bookkeeping and stock counting, but we're still thinking about the ethical ins-and-outs of running a vegan business!
So here goes...
So does faux-leather encourage the leather trade? The reality is that people like the look of leather and want to wear leather. We feel that by offering fashion that looks as attractive as the real-deal, but is completely cruelty-free, we are beginning to turn consumers who would not otherwise buy cruelty-free to a kinder choice.
With regards to using hand-me-downs and vintage leather items, you could just as well argue the same with regards to vintage fur.
Its amazing how the rules seem to become so much more rigid when you switch the topic from leather to fur. One-third of the office would wear old leather shoes until they gave in, and none of the office would wear fur, inherited or vintage.
So how did the suffering of a cow for its hide become less deserving of empathy (and action) than the suffering of a chinchilla or mink? Why has fur had so much more campaigning from animal-rights activists and so much more media focus than leather?
We came across a very good article that discussing fur in fashion. See the article here Daily Mail.
This winter I came across a gorgeous vegan and organic faux fur coat made by Loyale. Someone had commented on the blog that by wearing a fur-look coat you would be encouraging fur as fashion, whether organic, faux or real.
One of the things the Daily Mail article points out is that faux fur is responsible for 50 per cent of our toxic nitrous oxide emissions and that it takes a gallon of oil to produce three fake fur coats. There is a counter-argument to this, the University of Michigan reports that it takes 20 times the amount of energy to make a real fur coat rather than a faux version.
It can all get very complicated. In an effort to keep things simple we say: buy only animal-friendly, then buy as much eco-friendly and recycled as possible, and (this is the green note that no-one likes) you possibly don't need as much as you think, consume a little less by loving what you buy, by using it until it falls apart, and by knowing that you're not made by your shoes (or your fur coat).
21st February 11h06
Our new Matt & Natt stock has arrived!
Its unpacked, online, and we love it.
Nice to see that Matt & Nat is going the eco route. They've now got a range of bags called re-run; made out of a 100% recycled bottles nylon. It great to be able to offer something that is animal-friendly, eco-friendly and eco-stylish. More to come!
To oogle-and-ah over one of Matt & Nat's re-run bags click here.
Just the other day we blogged about our BoBo office discussions on e-leather; one of the points we were bouncing about was as to whether using off-cuts from the leather industry is ethical or not; after all, you are saving leather from the landfill. By the power of voting, the BoBo office decided that leather is a simple no-no, offcuts or not.
We then questioned whether using leather hand-me-downs or vintage shoes and bags is ok. If you were to argue 'yes' on this, as in the cow died ages ago and you would not be supporting current industry in wearing them but rather saving a waste of a good pair of shoes, would you be still encouraging the use of leather? Further to this, by wearing animal-friendly leather-look-alikes, would this too be encouraging leather-fashion and thus the leather trade?
There are so many grey areas, so many counter-arguments to consider and gauge, but we've boiled it down to this: if you have a pair of old leather shoes, love them, wear them and honour them until they will serve you no more, then replace them with something animal-friendly. The same for your lovely bags, wallets and belts.
In an ideal world, we would like it that no animal was harmed in the name of fashion (or nutrition) but, until ideal becomes real, it would be amazing to see all leather shoes being swapped for non-animal and old leather shoes being recycled into e-leather. That would be e-leather from old and used shoes and not from factory offcuts. We are hatching a plan as to how a recycling scheme could possibly be done. Be patient, watch this space and offer your ideas.
18th Feb 17h15
There was a woman last year who broke a record by knitting a scarf while running the London marathon. She'll be doing it again this year. The things we do.
18th Feb 16h54
Yesterday the BoBo team headed for Birmingham to scout around the MODA fashion trade fair. Its a really good place to get an idea of what styles are coming into fashion long before we even get there.
We're not saying that this is what we're going to be doing but... there was a lot of patent and bling; think Vegas showgirl. Lots of purple and teal; seems Spring/Summer colours are melting into Autumn/Winter 08. And lots of ankle-boots; think a little bit of 80's with a lot more style. Its an interesting year ahead.
Aside from gleaning wisdom as to upcoming trends, we discovered that canteen food can be vegan-friendly (if you like pasta and greasy vegetables) and that muffins can be immensely filling and satisfying. Kate's home-baked muffins beat Vika's Neal's Yard versions in all sections, but either muffin scored top points on packing material- these guys could keep you going for hours and add another kilo to your weight in under 5 seconds.
So back to the fashion. I always get side-tracked by food. Recipe coming soon.
We came across some very interesting faux-leather and eco-friendly suppliers. A few people are starting to think these days. Its great to see.
We're still digesting the muffins.
15th Jan 13h11
Its Friday and its BoBo-boogie time!
But before we hit the dance floor in our snazzy vegan heels, the BoBo girls have been thinking about something (other than Spring/Summer 08 and how many Matt & Natt bags we should order... and oooooo, which colours!).
So here's the question: just how ethical/compassionate is e-leather? What exactly is e-leather?
This is what we dug up:
http://www.wornagain.co.uk/node/206
E-leather is a unique blend of leather and textile properties that meet the demanding requirements for shoe uppers. Its prime component is leather fibre, which is intimately 'rewoven' and finished so it is practically indistinguishable from good quality natural leather. It is highly consistent, has excellent physical properties and is about half the weight. Supply in rolls reduces cutting wastage to around 5% compared to 18 - 40% for natural hides.
The innovative production used by E-leather can take 100% of the leather shavings and trimmings which comprises around 30% of the total tannery waste, which is normally sent to landfill. The hitherto landfilled leather is upgraded in a patented process which physically interlinks the fibres without the use of adhesives. The manufacturing process uses state of the art techniques which close loop recycles 95% of the process water, and converts its own waste streams into energy which is fed back into the process.
What do you think? Drop us a line, we'd love to know.
This is our point of view:
BoBo'istas would never use e-leather; we're a vegan-run company and we don't think that there is ever a reason to use animals, for anything.
Obviously e-leather is more eco-friendly than regular leather as it's making use of the offcuts from leather producers, which would otherwise be wasted. But why support the leather industry at all?
Vika thinks that it doesn't actually support the leather industry to use the offcuts, at least if the e-leather makers aren't paying for the offcuts. Animals have already suffered and shoes were produced, so why not use the left-overs to at least produce a better alternative and save the off-cuts from the landfill? Its a good point and if I had to write down the mad debate going on about the office I would be here till Monday morning. Its a very hot topic.
Alicia and I still think the plant world is better. We think that organic cotton, marvellous hemp, recycled plastic bottles, or any one of a myriad of eco-materials out there make wonderful little shapes which we can use to walk about in. Leave the cows alone!
14th Jan 14h16
Happy Valentines day!
BoBo has a daily Karaoke party. Vika's a singer, Kate likes to think she's one, Alicia hits a perfect note every time because she's the boss, and we can't hear Alison because she's rustling away in the packing room.
Karen from Veggie Vision was doing a vegan radio show, http://www.veggievision.co.uk/. Is it still on?
13th Jan 14h57
If you do one thing today visit this site Handle With Care and send the link to everyone you know. This is possibly one of the best wake-up-and-think campaigns we've seen in a while.
For those of you in London, undercover footage of the animal trade is on display in Trafalgar Square on board a Routemaster bus (I'm not sure how long it is on for) set up by the Handle With Care coalition, which includes the RSPCA, the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), Compassion in World Farming and the International League for the Protection of Horses.
It's amazing to me how semi-conscious humans can be, particularly in countries where an abundance of vegetables, grains, pulses and meat alternatives are available. Why do we feel we need to eat (and wear) animals?
11th Jan 16h49
Haven't been on the blog for a few days. Not because nothing's happened! Girls, why haven't we been on the blog?
Ah that's it: we've been busy gasping and oogling over our gorgeous new feet-in-shoes pics. Take a look online http://www.bboheme.com and let us know what you think. The Mr-model was miserable but our shoes look amazing ... grrrrr.
Alicia and Van spent the weekend doing stock-take. We once again know just how many shoes and belts we have. One day I want to have such a big wardrobe that I need to stock take it too.
We've had some stupendous competition entries- things are really hotting up! Keep them coming.
Competition you ask? Ah now, you almost missed out. To win a pair of fabulous Bourgeois Boheme shoes simply mail us your most adventurous experience with your beloved BoBo product. Send pics too if you can. Mail us before the end of February (ends 01st March) and maybe we'll give you a prize!
7th Jan 15h22
We've just kicked the girl with the vacuum'ing machine out of the office all because it is Chinese New Year. She thinks we're strange.
So welcome to the year of the Rat!
We must admit, we do have a little rat-a-tat-tat visitor in the office every now and again and, being vegan, we have no idea how to send him on his merry way. Anyone got a friendly suggestion?
Considering that this year is the Year of the Rat, perhaps our nocturnal stalker is very appropriate... until someone gives us a hint as to how how we can mislead him of course.
So, whilst he insists on being around and as it is his year, we feel we had better see what he's all about.
Wikipedia says:
The Rat was welcomed in ancient times as a protector and bringer of material prosperity (ah, good for the office). It is the first of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac, which is related to the Chinese calendar. Rat is associated with aggression, wealth, charm and order (aha- all good for our vegan workforce) yet also associated with death, war, the occult, pestilence and atrocities. (Ooooo,
not so good. Alicia, we need a Feng Shui master quick!)
So why send the lovely vacuum'er away? Simple. Chinese tradition suggests that sweeping and cleaning on New Years Day sweeps not only the dirt but also all the good fortune out the door.
So put away the broom, slip your feet into something comfy, like Priya, and take it easy today. The vacuuming can wait till tomorrow.
6th Jan 12h48
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Honolulu has sent us a 'Notice of Seizure and Proposed Forfeiture' for engaging in 'Trade Specimens' and for importing 'wildlife without necessary Declarations or Reports'.
So what's the story Bobo!
Our lovely, FAUX lizard BB London belt seems to have had the Honolulians totally foxed- if you will excuse the pun. With some tenaciousness our customer did finally convince Honolulu customs that their BB belt was certainly not real lizard- we hope you're enjoying you belt in the Honolulu sun!
We try very hard for quality and do search high and low for the best faux fabrics around, but this (rather side-ways) compliment really did get us chuckling.
5th Jan 13h23
There's flu going around the office. Get better soon Vika!
Kate's almost managed to convert the whole office to joining an organic vegetable box scheme.
Tried and tested, and voted by BoBo as the best, we have in first place Riverford Organic Vegetables
and, in a very close second, Abel & Cole. Both amazing companies. Hats tipped to you guys!
A few points:
Box schemes are not more expensive than the supermarket; encouraged by my house mates cynicism I have done a thorough study on this. The vegetables are as seasonal and local as possible, fresh and organic- great for your health. By buying from local and small farmers you are supporting and encouraging local agriculture and independent business. And last but not least, there is much, much less plastic packaging and air-miles on your meals. Better for the environment!
If you do one thing this week, other than salivate over our lovely new shoe line, order yourself a local veg box and get munching.
4th Jan 14h06
We reckon: if your not a Booja Booja devotee its because you've never had one!
We're able to unwrap and reveal the lovely Boojas in under five seconds- its an art that comes with practice.
Booja Booja (wisely) doesn't include calorie intake on their packaging so we have no idea how many half-hours (on the bike) we're spending.
They're too good to count anyway.
http://www.boojabooja.com/
31 Jan 14h07
Cycling burns 100 calories for every half hour. The BoBo girls are on their bikes!
... and of course its more kind to the planet than a fossil-fuel guzzler. Time to be kind to even the ancient animals.
31 Jan 10h08
Its a real Thursday-Thursday. We're astonished that the weeks almost gone by and bamboozled as to what we're going to do this weekend.
30 Jan 09h46
Fifteen massive boxes of the new shoes from India have arrived!
Its going to be a day of unpacking and unwrapping. The girls are in the warehouse. What fun.
Our very first full day with our brand new site.
All is dandy in Bourgeois land.
Its cold outside and we're loving our boots.
Welcome to our blog!
Up Up and Away we are launched!
Welcome to a new feature on our site where we will hope to provide interesting news and information daily (we hope) and probably a little banter too.
As always we love hearing from you, so do drop us a line and we can all put in our two bits worth!
Bobo Team - January 29th 2008
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