Today, an estimated $120B worth of excess fabric sits in warehouses around the world. Providing modern solutions is Bobblehaus, the brainchild of two Chinese Americans: Ophelia Chen, who had worked at Bloomingdale's, and Abi Lierheimer, who had been a streetwear designer for Champion and other brands in this market segment.
The two agreed to develop an accessible brand that could keep up with market changes and, above all, break the male dominance in this market segment. Having set out on a mission to create genderless and vibrant clothing made using low-impact methods, the brand doesn’t produce any new fabric, and sources recycled materials that have been certified by the Global Recycle Standard.
Sold in Urban Outfitters, Bobblehaus has already gained significant momentum in the last two years and also opened a flagship store in Soho, New York last year. In addition to reusing already existing fabrics, the brand plants ten trees with the One Tree Planted initiative for every item sold.
Achieving a Balance between Male and Female
Although the brand arrived at the height of the pandemic, it never intended to capitalize on the situation, nor did it want to focus on comfort-oriented models. Rather, the basis of its style consists of genderless design, the use of sustainable fabrics, vibrant colors, and extravagant prints.
For example, they don't tend to opt for for "sexier" or super-fitted garments. They look for a balance between masculine and feminine tones in streetwear. Normally, if you want a baggy or tight-fitting garment, in a store you have to go to the men's section and there the sizes don't correspond to what a woman needs. This reflects the brands goal to create clothes that can be worn by either gender.
It’s important to note that Bobblehaus' main claim to fame is not sustainability. It prefers to attract customers with its bold designs and bright colors. Sustainability, however, is taken into account while designing their items. Sometimes during garment development, we have to be very creative. In fact, we often change many of their features, but only until it's time for production.
Renewable Materials
Working with renewable materials such as TENCEL™ from Lenzing has opened up new opportunities for them. In fact, they have created some models with only that material. This experience has led them to organize educational activities for other fashion professionals and users.
Tencel is a 100% natural and sustainable fiber created from eucalyptus wood pulp and is designed to mimic human skin. Its the most environmentally friendly cellulosic fiber is available today. It’s produced exclusively from the wood pulp of eucalyptus trees certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the fiber bears the Pan-European Forest Council (PEFC) quality seal.
Enabling an Ethical Work Environment
Bobblehaus also partners closely with its Shanghai production studio. Established in 2019, it exclusively works with limited and exclusive productions from emerging designers. The studio is BSCI certified, which means that it works according to correct human rights protocol, ILO conventions, and national labor law.
BSCI is a program of the Foreign Trade Association of Europe, which strives to improve working conditions for the suppliers of BSCI’s participating member companies.