Booji Kicks Booty

Fed up with the male-oriented sneaker market, Miss Mdot—the attention shy designer behind the JB Classics Lab range—launched Booji, a not-so-shy urban shoe label dedicated to sneaker-loving ladies. Given Booji's potential to rule the streets, homeboys may soon try to squeeze their way into a pair as well.

Los Angeles-based Mdot (the M allegedly stands for "Mysterious") came up with the idea for an exclusive all-girl trainer line while on a train in Germany. Flipping through catalogue page upon catalogue page of lackluster designs from big-time competitors, she noticed the apparent gap in the market. "It was kind of like the straw that broke the camel's back", she says.

Miss Mdot, true identity still unknown, joined up with Jason Bass and his JB Classic Lab in 2004, while still studying interior architecture and furniture design. Her promise to "think outside the box" is well applied to the Booji range and some models take the motto quite literally. High-top sneaker Regal-One comes with a detachable ankle tote, making it practical as well as street smart, while Hi-Jacker, the other Booji style to be launched this holiday season, is a slip-in boot that comes in different colors and several fabrics (leather, denim, etc).

Booji was initially launched in Paris, Amsterdam, Moscow and Geneva, but as the label grows geographically the range will also expand—Miss Mdot already plans to include more sneaker styles and a collection of accessories down the line.

For more information, see www.boojihouse.com.

—David Hellqvist