Bobbies

Can you introduce Bobbies to us in your own words?

Antoine : Bobbies is a brand created in 2010 with Alexis, my partner. We focused on a product that we really liked, the spiked moccasin, better known as the “driving loafer.” We found this product to be very elegant, but we liked the sporty side, and the offer wasn’t overflowing. There were luxury brands or more affordable brands, but a bit dusty. Our idea was to take this product and make it very high quality at an affordable price. We started like that with a young and fresh marketing approach. At the time, we were 23 years old, we hadn’t inherited any particular fashion codes; we went by instinct.

What is your background, what encouraged you to launch this project?

Antoine : We wanted to create a shoe for ourselves and our friends, but there wasn't the ideal brand for us. We had an entrepreneurial spirit and we loved fashion, so the two things worked well together. We wanted freedom, so it was a good solution for us.

What are the 3 words that best define you?

Antoine : Friendship, Alexis and I have known each other since we were 7 years old. Trust and carefree, we don't worry too much. Today, the trust is still there, we try to keep a cool head.

What are the attributes of a good shoe according to Bobbies?

Antoine : Quality, style and timelessness. Quality is essential, when you put a certain price on a pair of shoes, you want them to stay beautiful. Style: we are a fashion brand, we don't want to be followers, we want to make our mark, and that's something that takes time. The brand is 14 years old and it took us years to find our identity. Even if we remain a sober, minimalist brand, today people recognize us. Timelessness: we are a fashion brand, we are trendy and we even try to anticipate some of them, but the products we offer can be worn for several seasons.

What do you think about the carbon impact of fashion today?

Antoine : We know very well that it's an extremely polluting industry. Then there are several different segments: between ultra fast fashion or high-end brands like Bobbies, it's nothing like that. We, without wanting to be, are a brand that has always been very careful. Already when we produce in good quality, it's sustainable. Then, we work in a short circuit: we manufacture in Portugal, our tanneries are in Italy, Spain or France, the hides that are supplied to the tanneries come almost exclusively from Europe. We are not perfect but in our DNA, we have always respected the environment and we are accelerating on the subject. We apply it to the way we make our stores, we use sustainable materials, our packaging is made of recycled cardboard, we suggest people take a dust bag rather than automatically providing one. We also suggest they reuse the web boxes (these are the return boxes that come back a little damaged but completely reusable) because it's a shame to throw them away... It's currently being developed and it could save us 20,000 to 30,000 boxes per year.

How does Bobbies reduce its carbon impact?

Antoine : We do a lot of things, for example, in the basket when you pay, we offer to make a donation to an association called “A tree for you” and in return we make the same donation, it’s concrete. The tanneries we work with are all LWG certified. We had a warehouse built with a 3000 m2 photovoltaic panel roof, we consume 10% of it and the rest we re-inject into the EDF network. We limit business travel... Lots of things like that.

How did you raise awareness among your team about these CSR issues?

Antoine : People at Bobbies are demanding, there are several generations here and the younger ones are immersed in it, they are very sensitive to ecological issues and we come together around these measures, it's very positive. In job interviews, when we ask the question "why Bobbies?", often, it's our commitments that speak.