Phew...what a week so far!

This week has officially been crazy busy for myself and BoBelle London. Monday started off on a rather annoying note as I had to wait in for Fedex to pick up my unwanted display materials that should have been collected on Friday. Grrr. Forstly, how could they 'forget' on Friday to collect? And secondly, why is it that logistic companies can never really give a better time frame than 'sometime between 9am and 5pm'. Oh, how it irkes me!

After the collection I fortunately was able to get on with our wholesaling packaging. We have a wonderful new stockist in Bristol called Elsie Riley. Her shop is gorgeous and she is now starting to do up her website to work in conjunction with the actual shop. Katie, the owner, is very down to earth, funny and approachable. In store she has in our Hemera Handbag in Light Grey and Ravishing Red, the matching Aphrodite Wallets, the new Chloe Wallet and the Athena Purse. They all go perfectly together and the colours really complement one another.

BoBelle London was fortunate enough to be featured on Emerging Fervour - I actually personally went to school with one of the founders, Sara Nasser. She is a very kind and fun person and because of the Red Magazine feature, she wanted to mention me, thanks Sara!

We have had lots of meetings this week and my one yesterday with a retail developer was very promising...more to tell when I hopefully sign on the dotted line! Fingers and toes crossed....

My mentoring session with Craig from DediPower was alo this week. His company were exhibiting at Internet World at Earl's Court. It was so interesting as it has given me food for thought on website designs, photography, keywords, getting up on Google and the new craze, Social Media. The world of Social Media is a baffling one - how to write on Twitter, what to create on Facebook, how to write blogs, who to follow etc etc etc....I can safely say they didn't teach me any of this at University! Ah well, there is nothing like learning on-the-job!

Finally, last night I attended a Royal Society meeting on Social Enterprise. I went with Heather Wilkinson from Striding Out and it was a real eye opener. It is so refreshing to hear people speak about their experiences, what their passions are and how they are trying to overcome hurdles. There is so much bureaucracy and red tape in the UK. Some of the speakers are doing such fabulous things such as helping disadvantaged children off the streets and into youth theatre or education. Others are setting up schemes to help parents and families with children who have learning difficulties. All these venture are so commendable, but Authorities are worried about CRB checks, Health and Safety and Forms....it is just local people and communities volunteering for goodness sake! No wonder we are put off helping others now. We will see what this election brings and hopefully realy change is brought about, finally....

Off out to another meeting now, but will update you all again next week if not before.

Have a lovely Bank Holiday weekend!

Claire

BoBelle London on the catwalk at UK Aware

BoBelle London had their stand at UK Aware which was certainly an interesting exhibition! Unfortunately the amazing and unexpected beautiful weather prevented some visitors coming indoors to Olympia to see the show, however there were still at least 70,000 customers over the 2 days. Claire Watt-Smith, the Founder of BoBelle London, was there and certainly made a lasting impression with her fabulous enthusiasm and stunning BoBelle London luxurious ladies leather fashion accessories.

Lupe Castro from Ethical Heaven organised the fashion show and BoBelle London's accessories definitely stood out from the crowd. Gorgeous clothes and shoes from Izzy Lane, Purity and Julia Smith accentuated the strong colour palette from BoBelle London; Ravishing Red, Deep Purple and Smokey White were featured heavily:

Seen here the Deep Purple Hemera Handbag from BoBelle London - our most popular shade this year has to be the Deep Purple. Great for work as it is subtle yet striking. Then wear on the weekends with jeans and pumps - oh-so-stylish...

Seen here the Ravishing Red Hemera Handbag from BoBelle London - ideal for work or evening. This is a real investment piece and will last you years (not to mention make you smile everytime you use it!)

Seen here the Smokey White Theia Clutch from BoBelle London - perfect with all outfits due to its gorgeous neutral yet sophisticated colour and style

Seen here the Ravishing Red Theia Clutch from BoBelle London - smarten up your look with this beauty

As you can see above, ethical fashion is hardly frumpy and solely hemp....BoBelle London is trying to show that ethical fashion is not limited to boring and unfashionable attire, quite the contrary. Have a browse of our online boutique today and see for yourself!

BoBelle London - shhhh....Fashion with Ethics

Getting ready for UK Aware show at Olympia, London

It is always so exciting doing shows; the adrenalin, the rush, the enthusiasm....but it is serious hard work, too! Our list of things to do and pick up today spreads over two pages, but it will all be worth it in the end.

UK Aware is the number 1 ethical and green lifestyle show. It is in its second year now and over 70,000 people flocked to the venue last year in light of finding out more on how to be more ethical and how to support local and small businesses.

BoBelle London will be on stand 128 and we will be showcasing our gorgeous collection of ladies leather handbags, leather purses, leather keyrings, leather wallets and more. The recession has certainly made people think more about where they spend their money and how also much. Small businesses, or SME's (Small to Medium Enterprises) employ a staggeringly large amount of people in the UK especially. We have to show our support to these people and not just succomb to the giant retailers. I am sure we all know someone who has unfortunately lost their job in the recession or seen their business suffer, it is heartbreaking. However, what is needed in times like this are new strategies and new ventures. UK Aware is great for this as hundreds of small brands are working together to educate and show the public that ethical does not have to mean expensive, nor does it mean solely 'hemp'. BoBelle London is at the forefront of this. Our sumptuous hand made eel skin leather handbags are truly stunning. The leather is a by-product of the food industry and is so unique; soft, incredibly strong and durable. Our collection boasts fabulous colours such as Royal Blue, Ravishing Red and Pretty in Pink. Who said ethical is frumpy? It certainly isn't at BoBelle London!!

Other brands at UK Aware will include Izzy Lane, Egg Mag and Onya. There is going to be a fabulous fashion show hosted by Daisy Green Magazine and Ethical Heaven which promises to bring the best of ethical fashion onto the catwalk. Again, BoBelle London will be showcasing! No hemp allowed....

If you would like to attend this fantastic event either email sales@bobelle.co.uk for further infomation or log onto the Uk Aware website at www.ukware.com. We hope to see you there!

Gorgeous shop visit to Bournemouth to see Vixen Boutique

Today I went to Bournemouth to see one of my favourite clients, Lucy from Vixen Boutiuqe. The journey down from BoBelle London was sunny and very pleasant. Set in the heart of Canford Cliffs this beautiful boutique stocks local as well as national brands including: Oui Set, Noli and of course, BoBelle London, but to name a few.

Lucy, the owner, is stylish, elegant and extremely friendly. Her clear sense of style oozes throughout the boutique which makes it so welcoming. The decor is luxurious yet enticing. The clothes are sophisticated and fashionable. The accessories are desirable and tempting. What more could one ask for?

Sold in the boutique include BoBelle London's Gaia Purses, Theia Clutches, Hemera Handbags and Hestia Keyrings. Lucy offers a one-to-one service whereby she can help you create your perfect 'wish list' and help you select outfits that flatter and enhance your figure, colouring and personality. Whether you are going to the races, enjoying drinks with friends, needing an outfit for a wedding or simply wishing to update your look, Vixen Boutique is the perfect place to go.

BoBelle London ethically sourced and hand made luxurious fashion accessories available at Vixen Boutique.

Online press vs classic publications

Claire Watt-Smith, the Founder and CEO of BoBelle London, attended the Sketchbook Magazine pop-up magazine shop last week in Carnaby Street. Suzie, aka Style Bubble, attended and there was lots of banter over which is better: online press or classic publications? So, which is better? Do you still read glossy magazines with a hot cup of tea or glass of wine curled up on the sofa? Or are you more of a read-me-now online type of gal? I think the truth is that both men and women peruse online portals, such as newspapers and perhaps blogs whilst 'surfing', but deep down we do still like traditional books and magazines too.


So which do you think you prefer or take note of? Well that is certainly very much a personal preference. Can you picture the country without magazines and books? Lying in bed with your i-pad rather than Red magazine or a good Penny Vincenzi novel? It certainly feels strange even contemplating it, but that doesn't mean it won't happen of course. Remember box-tv's? Cassettes? VCR's? Industrial-sized computers? Classic massive Volvos? They all are now either obsolete or getting there...so what about books and magazines? Is the Internet really the way forward forever? It has been said that magazines sway towards featuring those brands that take up advertising space, but what about online? Bloggers are making a fortune writing articles about brands, but are they too being swayed by freebies and such-like? Is there such a thing about honest publicity? Also, the issue here is perhaps the cost of the publication. How often do you recoil at the fact at having to pay for online content? This is extremely difficult for publication houses and a huge debate at the moment....


For BoBelle London we find that classic publication features in magazines and newspapers work better for us. This is not to say that online is not great, it is for browsing, but with over 80,000 new websites being launched on a daily basis, it is extremely hard getting one's brand out to the masses. Still, we think that word-of-mouth and taking part in events and shows helps massively, too. Let's face it, we are not all wanting to solely read online and not converse with friends and families. We like to share opinions and chat freely. Is writing online the same? We don't think so, what about you?

Reading online:



or reading by print: