I 💜 USA

Today we’re gonna drop a few lines about another one of our 4 core values: Integrity.

Did you know that the Bichōn story was inspired by a friend’s sister who launched her business of souvenirs in the South of France? Four years ago, Chloe came up with the ingenious idea of offering local creations celebrating Montpellier, her native city along the French Riviera. “A fair payback to the city I grew up in, studied in and made most of my life memories in” explains the self-made business woman.

That very moment when Marilou heard Chloe’s story, a hot summer night in August 2018 in the Miami Design District, the concept of Bichōn was born: a tribute to the great USofA, an obvious next move for the French founder after pretty much 12 years of “American Dreaming”!

With a commitment to supporting her adoptive land and focusing on sustainability, Marilou’s ambition was to offer a responsible alternative to the existing industry that has been massively favoring profit over integrity in carrying mostly poor-quality goods from overseas! Seriously, if Miami gift shops are as prosperous as taco joints, regrettably only a handful distributes authentic and fine U.S. goods. We bet you 100 bucks right now: 90% of the “I love Miami” bikinis, carried by the huge chain stores come from 9,000 miles away! Not to mention the quality when your tee is $9.99: buy one, wash it twice, you’ll feel ripped off by your “good deal”!

To better illustrate what we mean by integrity, let us share a personal story of what actually is NOT. While browsing in a famous upscale Brazilian boutique 2 years ago, Marilou remembers being told a great eco-responsible story about a brand honoring the Brazilian savoir-faire, employing the national labor force and supporting the environmental cause with a planted tree in the Amazonian forest for every purchase. What an inspiration! Back home, while looking closer at the piece, something odd came up! The neck label, aesthetically beautiful, was surprisingly only featuring the logo. Where could all info for traceability of the clothing possibly be? Hidden in one of the legs of the jumpsuit, a “Made in China” label was discovered. Ugh. Greenwashed! When the brand got asked for explanations on social media, the community manager sneakily claimed the “Made in Brazil” was for the design. Uh huh. And as for the, let’s politely say nonsense - about reforesting the Amazon - while polluting the air with heavy CO2 emissions in importing the merchandise from the other side of the planet? No word.

Does Bichōn, slow fashion brand, pretend to be perfect? False claims aren’t our thing! While we are striving to offer 100% Made in USA essentials, for instance one of our Miami partners still needs to outsource our signature patches from Hong Kong (yes, we asked!) Weren’t there better options? We haven’t found any yet, but our research is always ongoing to align our values. Our intention: to genuinely and realistically do our best, in the strict respect of our work and personal ethics! 

We, brands, stores and consumers, can do better. Or should we say, we have to. And you’re the leader, you have the Purchase Power! So, shop mindfully! Every time you purchase a responsible good, you respect our Host, Mother nature. Besides, chances are, you nurture a business that once was a dream and later on that came true...