Michele Bohbot

Biography

Michele Bohbot was born in Fez, Morocco to a Jewish family. At the age of nineteen, she moved to Paris where she studied philosophy and law at Sorbonne University. When she was 19, she married her husband, Marc, who proposed to her four days after they met.

Michele has been the recipient of multiple awards. In October 2001, she was recognized as the "Best Contemporary Designer" at the Dallas Fashion Awards. In April 2002, she was honored as one of "The Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World." In February 2008, she was named as Esteemed Entrepreneur of the Year at The RAW SPIRIT AWARDS in Los Angeles.

Michele currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband Marc and their seven children.

Bisou Bisou

Michele started her fashion career in Paris where she opened her first fashion outlet called "Micky 1." Michele went on to open and manage a number of retail stores that she and Marc owned around Paris.

In 1987, Michele left France with her husband and then three young children and settled in Los Angeles where Marc had a business selling French jeans. The business failed, the Bohbots lost everything, and Marc wanted to move back to France. But Michele, who was pregnant with her fourth child, preferred to stay and convinced Marc to stay with her. After the delivery of the baby, she convinced her husband to set up a business with the vision of bringing Parisian street fashion with a modern style to American women. Although she knew something about designing, she had no expertise with sewing or the construction of a garment. With a total of $6,000, she teamed up with a seamstress from her husband's failed jeans business, bought fabric, rented a 100-square-foot (9.3 m²) studio, and launched her new line "Bisou Bisou", French slang for, "a little kiss."

Creating "Bisou Bisou" was a labor of love. Due to the lack of start-up money, the easiest and most cost-efficient way for Michele to brand her new line was to put on lipstick, kiss a piece of fabric, hand-sew the label onto each garment and use a rubber ink stamp to press "Bisou Bisou" over each logo.

Michele introduced the clothes using stretch novelty fabric as a new way of dressing sexy without being vulgar which was immediately successful. Over time, the collection grew to incorporate sportswear, denim and dresses. "Bisou Bisou" became an international brand and added licensees for shoes, outerwear, handbags, and accessories with retail stores across the globe. Today, "Bisou Bisou" is seen as a brand for the mass retail market.

In 2003, a licensing agreement was signed with J. C. Penney, giving exclusive distribution rights to this retail chain. "Bisou Bisou" is currently in its seventh year with JCPenney and still going strong.

Michele and her "Bisou Bisou" story have been profiled in multiple business and fashion publications including the likes of Fortune, People, and Elle magazines.

Personal life

Michele resides in Los Angeles and is married to Marc. She has seven children, three grandsons and 6 granddaughters.

Michele lectures with the Learning Annex, giving motivational workshops for those in need of guidance. In addition, Michele teaches YOGA classes and established the first-ever children's YOGA program at the Boys and Girls Club of America. Similarly, participates in several Step-Up Women's network events throughout the year.

Michele's favorite leisure activities include yoga and painting.