How long has bbohe been making their slippers and felt products?
Our felt making journey began in 2010 when we were searching for ways to use our alpaca fleeces without needing to send them off farm. Our current range of slippers is the result of many hours of learning and perfecting the art of felt making. We are always striving to improve our products.
What makes your slippers so special?
We are one of the few companies that make felted slippers with alpaca fibre. Unlike commercial factory-made slippers, ours are handcrafted from 100% alpaca fibre. The slipper proper contains no synthetic fibres. This ensures that you receive ultimate comfort and warmth with no sweating or odours.
Where are your slippers made?
Our slippers are made in our farm studio. Our farm is located in the beautiful southern tablelands of NSW, Australia.
The alpacas, which provide the raw product for our slippers, graze in the paddocks just outside.
This gives us total control over all aspects of the process from the animal husbandry and shearing to the fibre preparation and felt making.
We have over seventy huacaya alpacas on our 160 hectare property. Our herd is shorn every spring so that our animals can be cool and comfortable over our hot, dry summers.
Our farm is located in the district of Gunning, NSW, an area historically famous for fine wool production.
How long can I expect my Bbohe felt slippers to last?
Even though the first thing people notice are our unique and attractive designs, durability has always been an integral part of our product development. Each pair of slippers goes through a rigorous felting and fulling process to make them durable.
We have found that leather soles on our slippers are best for comfort and maintaining the thermal properties of the alpaca felt. The leather sole also helps the slippers last longer.
Your slippers should last up to two years with normal wear but this is just a guide. It will depend on how much you wear them and your individual gait (how you move in your shoes). However, some of our customers have their slippers last a lot longer than this.
Note: Our felt slippers are a house shoe and they are not designed for outside wear.
How do I get the correct size?
We use both AU/UK and EU sized lasts (foot shapes) in our slipper making. When ordering, please consult the size guide listed in all the product photos to get the right fit.
If you require a narrower or a wider fit, please let us know. You can even measure the girth of the widest part of your foot and send it to us. We have many customers with special requirements.
How do I know that I am buying an ethical product?
We have been raising alpacas since 2003. Our animals have full access all year round to our native pastures and we also provide extra feeding with lucerne hay, when needed. We aim to enhance their natural behaviour and minimise stress by handling only when necessary.
Shearing is performed by a professional shearer once a year. We shear on a special table that is safest and most comfortable for both alpacas and humans.
Alpacas tread lightly on our ancient and fragile soils and have less impact than our native kangaroos.
We run our farm to be sustainable – including off-grid solar power and rotating our stock to prevent overgrazing. In partnership with Greening Australia, we have planted over 30 km of native tree lines to improve the habitat for our native animals and provide shelter belts for our stock.
We use only environmentally friendly products to prepare our raw fleeces prior to carding and felting. Wastewater is treated then released safely onto our gardens.
The felting process is very kind to the environment. It uses fleece with water and a little soap. Vinegar is used to condition the felt and a felting finish product is applied in the final rinse.
We do many things to minimise waste on our farm. All the non-commercial parts of the fleeces are used. It makes an excellent mulch for our vegetable gardens and we even insulated our studio with alpaca fibre. We sell our waste fibre as insulation to the general public.
You can be sure that a purchase from Bbohe is an environmentally sustainable and ethical one that is good for our planet.
For care of your slippers please go here:
https://bbohe.com/care-of-felt/
