Pirouette blog — Past, present & future - Bobo Choses & sustainability, founder interview

Serious about taking responsibility for their social and environmental footprint.

Ethical and environmental practices and sustainability are now part and parcel of most kid’s independent labels, but back in 2008, there was one brand that spearheaded the conversation. The much-loved and leading Kid’s fashion and lifestyle independent Bobo Choses launched with a commitment to offer products friendly to the environment and to continuously improve their production processes’ sustainability.

As a further step towards sustainability Bobo Choses has been working on a special innovation project for the last two years to expand their overstock materials’ lifecycle and push the limits of what they have already achieved. Bobo Choses ‘Iconic’ Collection, its most sustainable innovation yet – it’s natural, recycled, and upcycled, thanks to research, development, and innovation.

We talk with founder Adriana Esperalba about how Bobo Choses approach to sustainability has evolved over the past 12 years and what they can do in the next 12 years to improve further.

Hey Pirouette team. It’s so nice talking to you again :-)
Nice to talk with you again to Adriana!

You say in your press release Bobo choses has always had a commitment to sustainability and fair practice. How do you see this having evolved in the past 12 years?
At Bobo Choses, we are fortunate to have started with the same conviction of respect for our environment as we have now. That is why, if we look back, we can say that we are proud of what we’ve achieved but even more proud of what we are achieving. In 12 years, thanks to the company’s growth, especially in departments as important as production, we’ve been able to improve in many areas where there was room for improvement. To give some examples, in the waste we generate and the usage we make of it, in water consumption or the use of more environmentally friendly materials.

You have a multi-faceted approach, dealing with a variety of agencies. Is this an important factor to navigating this complex problem of sustainable fashion?
If you are referring to collaboration with external agents, it’s undoubtedly a key element to improve in all areas of sustainability. Thanks to external collaborators, we’ve been able to certify processes, discover new production technologies, and learn from experts who work every day to make this industry a less polluting sector.

The collaboration of both public and private institutions has been crucial for ‘The Iconic Collection’.

We almost always hear about sustainability and social responsibility mentioned in the same breath, but are the 2 always compatible, or does one occasionally have to be prioritized over the other?
From our view, there can’t be sustainability without social responsibility. Social responsibility isn’t a department at Bobo Choses; it’s the DNA we were born with and is embedded in the know-how of all departments. These values are based on respect for everything we do, for all the people we work and collaborate with, and the process by which we produce.

Has the improvement of natural dyes had a big impact on the production process. Is there any reason now to use anything other than natural dyes?
In terms of production, it’s important to emphasize that the entire process of all our collections is sustainable. The difference in the Natural Dye process, used in The Iconic Collection, is that the main component comes from inorganic material such as stones, sand… from elements of nature.

How easy is it for you to apply the sustainable principles of the iconic collection to your seasonal collections in the future?
The future is now. We are already starting to integrate some of the learning from The Iconic Collection into the seasonal collections. It’s only a matter of time before we see less and less difference between the two.

There is always a lot of love for Bobo Choses and by reviving this collection you are introducing Bobo’s origin story to a new generation of parents. Are you looking forward to that opportunity?
The story of Bobo Choses has a thousand ways to be told because it always gets to the same place: the idea of connecting children and adults by creating imaginary worlds where they can learn, transmit values, and above all, have fun. The last collection of Bobo Choses could perfectly be the first one and be an excellent letter of introduction. :)

Finally what more would you like to see in the next 12 years from the industry to support even greater sustainability?
There are many challenges ahead in our industry, and it isn’t easy to list them all. But suppose we all commit to moving towards the idea of buying less but buying better, manufacturing fairly and honestly, integrating as many innovations that help us impact less, or creating systems that get us to the circular economy. In that case, we’ll all have an exciting next 12 years full of good challenges to meet.