MICHELE BOHBOT - BISOU BISOU

"I had my American Dream all my life. I never forgot about this dream."

Michele Bohbot was originally born in Fez, Morocco. At the age of nineteen, she moved to Paris where she studied philosophy and law at the Sorbonne. Her fashion career started in Paris, where she opened her first fashion outlet, callec Micky1, eventually going on to open and manage a number of retail stores around Paris, with her husband, Marc.

In 1987, Michele and Marc left France with their 3 young children, and settled in Los Angeles, where Marc had a business selling French jeans. When that business failed, and the Bohbots lost everything, Marc wanted to move back to France. Michele, pregnant with her fourth child, convinced Marc to stay on in Los Angeles.

Michele had a 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 husbands failed jeans business, bought fabric, rented a studio, and launched her collection under her own label "Bisou Bisou," meaning "a little kiss." Initially, they only sold jeans, but over time the collection grew to incorporate sportswear, denim and dresses, along with licensees for shoes, outerwear, handbags, and accessories.

In its 20 year history, "Bisou Bisou" has become a global fashion leader, exceeding $80 million in annual revenues and employing 350 people. With offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Paris, "Bisou-Bisou" has come to sell its garments on the international market at high-end department stores all over the world.

Pretaped; no calls.