GENERATIONS OF STYLE: THE BODENS
What it’s like having Johnnie Boden as a dad
What it’s like having
Johnnie Boden as a dad
We might all feel like we grew up with Boden the brand, but Anna, Katie and Stella Boden also grew
up with Boden the man, their father, Dad. As the business turns 30, we caught up with the girls
to discuss photoshoots, family traditions and finding the time for tea.
We might all feel like we grew up with Boden the brand, but Anna, Katie and Stella Boden also grew up with Boden the man, their father, Dad. As the business turns 30, we caught up with the girls to discuss photoshoots, family traditions and finding the time for tea.
Katie and Anna Boden
Stella, the youngest of Johnnie Boden’s three daughters, is sitting by the window in the family home in Dorset, video calling her two sisters, who are scattered over London in freshly moved-in flats and at friends’ houses. A few metres outside said window is a wildflower meadow – the very wildflower meadow we used as the backdrop to our 30th birthday family photoshoot (the result of which you’ll see right here).
As a teacher, knitwear graduate and politics student respectively, Anna, Katie and Stella aren’t used to being preened, pampered and photographed. Stella recounts: “It was actually lovely, because it was at home, and the team were really nice, and we were just with our family… I’ve literally never seen photos like that of any of us. We’d be sitting there and they’d come and fluff up your hair and it was like, ‘Mmm… I’m so okay with this.’”
Stella, the youngest of Johnnie Boden’s three daughters, is sitting by the window in the family home in Dorset, video calling her two sisters, who are scattered over London in freshly moved-in flats and at friends’ houses. A few metres outside said window is a wildflower meadow – the very wildflower meadow we used as the backdrop to our 30th birthday family photoshoot (the result of which you’ll see right here).
As a teacher, knitwear graduate and politics student respectively, Anna, Katie and Stella aren’t used to being preened, pampered and photographed. Stella recounts: “It was actually lovely, because it was at home, and the team were really nice, and we were just with our family… I’ve literally never seen photos like that of any of us. We’d be sitting there and they’d come and fluff up your hair and it was like, ‘Mmm… I’m so okay with this.’”
“I’ve literally never seen photos like that
of any of us…” – Stella Boden
“I’ve literally never seen
photos like that of any of us…”
– Stella Boden
This isn’t their first foray into modelling, however. As children in the early ’00s - the early days of the company - they were often found on the pages of the Mini Boden catalogue. And while it’s not quite British Vogue, the promise of an hour or so off school, and more than a few handfuls of sweets, ensured they’d happily oblige every time. “It was all so exciting; every shoot was just a whole day of people being nice to you,” says Katie. Win-win for daughters and father, if you ask us.
When you’re a fledgling business, working from kitchen tables and living room carpets, you need all the help you can get. “When we were little, Dad used to proofread every single catalogue. He’d collect us from school on the train every Friday evening, and he’d give us all a hard copy. I’d always pick up on the page numbers being wrong,” says Anna. Johnnie still loves to check each catalogue, but these days it’s just for fun – we’ve got a dedicated team for product codes, photo edits and those pesky page numbers.
This isn’t their first foray into modelling, however. As children in the early ’00s - the early days of the company - they were often found on the pages of the Mini Boden catalogue. And while it’s not quite British Vogue, the promise of an hour or so off school, and more than a few handfuls of sweets, ensured they’d happily oblige every time. “It was all so exciting; every shoot was just a whole day of people being nice to you,” says Katie. Win-win for daughters and father, if you ask us.
When you’re a fledgling business, working from kitchen tables and living room carpets, you need all the help you can get. “When we were little, Dad used to proofread every single catalogue. He’d collect us from school on the train every Friday evening, and he’d give us all a hard copy. I’d always pick up on the page numbers being wrong,” says Anna. Johnnie still loves to check each catalogue, but these days it’s just for fun – we’ve got a dedicated team for product codes, photo edits and those pesky page numbers.
“If you come to our house,
you’re drinking tea, whether
you like it or not.”
– Katie Boden
Stella Boden
“If you come to our house,
you’re drinking tea, whether
you like it or not.”
– Katie Boden
Back on Zoom, the chat turns from Boden’s 30th celebrations to their own birthdays, with Stella recounting, “Mum did the little parties [growing up]; we sometimes had a magician. We’ve had a few big parties recently, but Dad is really specific about it all. So, the flowers have to be the flowers he wants, and he has to agree on the menu. They’re his parties, essentially. He just likes to get involved in everything. And he’ll ask just before the party, ‘Why are you wearing that?’ So annoying!”
It’s not just parties Johnnie’s specific about: being the Big Boss of Boden requires a certain amount of organisation. One notable way he keeps on top of everything is The Spreadsheet. Katie is first to mention this rather ominous-sounding tool: “He always has a spreadsheet on the go, and if his tasks for the day aren’t on the spreadsheet, then it doesn’t count. He can’t relax until he’s worked through it. But there’s always room for tea”. Yep, that teatime is a serious endeavour. The family have tea together at 4:30pm, on the dot. Katie, er, spills the tea: “It’s the most British thing: it has to be loose leaf, in a teapot. We have so many teapots and they’re all different sizes – once, Dad got a mug, filled it with water and saw how many he could fit in each teapot, then wrote that number on the bottom of the teapot. We have a 12-man one. It’s a big deal: if you come to our house, you’re drinking tea, whether you like it or not.”
Back on Zoom, the chat turns from Boden’s 30th celebrations to their own birthdays, with Stella recounting, “Mum did the little parties [growing up]; we sometimes had a magician. We’ve had a few big parties recently, but Dad is really specific about it all. So, the flowers have to be the flowers he wants, and he has to agree on the menu. They’re his parties, essentially. He just likes to get involved in everything. And he’ll ask just before the party, ‘Why are you wearing that?’ So annoying!”
It’s not just parties Johnnie’s specific about: being the Big Boss of Boden requires a certain amount of organisation. One notable way he keeps on top of everything is The Spreadsheet. Katie is first to mention this rather ominous-sounding tool: “He always has a spreadsheet on the go, and if his tasks for the day aren’t on the spreadsheet, then it doesn’t count. He can’t relax until he’s worked through it. But there’s always room for tea”. Yep, that teatime is a serious endeavour. The family have tea together at 4:30pm, on the dot. Katie, er, spills the tea: “It’s the most British thing: it has to be loose leaf, in a teapot. We have so many teapots and they’re all different sizes – once, Dad got a mug, filled it with water and saw how many he could fit in each teapot, then wrote that number on the bottom of the teapot. We have a 12-man one. It’s a big deal: if you come to our house, you’re drinking tea, whether you like it or not.”
From left: Katie, Stella and Anna
“He’s the most reliable person in the world. He would
postpone his funeral if it meant picking something up for you
or staying in with you.” – Katie Boden
“He’s the most reliable
person in the world. He
would postpone his funeral if
it meant picking something
up for you or staying in with
you.” – Katie Boden
But what happens when he can’t access the spreadsheet, and isn’t at home to chat ideas over Earl Grey? “He’s got a bit of paper in his back pocket that he writes everything on, and he has to pull over [in the car] all the time to write stuff down,” says Anna. “There’s so much going through his head”. Great for those ad-hoc ideas – not so great when you’re running late for dinner.
All that organisation and being always-on is worth it, though, considering where Boden is now: a global brand, with over three decades in business, and employing over 900 people across Boden House, the Leicester warehouse, and our Boston and Pittston offices in the US. The girls are obviously immensely proud of what their dad’s done, but what do they think he’s most proud of? “Nothing’s perfect, but [the business] has pretty clean morals and ethics. If he knew Boden was using dodgy factories, or if anyone associated with Boden was unhappy, he would be really upset. He’s not ruthless like a lot of people in business are. Even before it was trending, he’s always said being kind, and doing the right thing, is really important.” We couldn’t agree more, Anna. “And”, says Katie, “he loves inspiring people. Anything aesthetic and brave and out of the ordinary inspires him. Literally anything and everything. Anything beautiful, anything or anyone with real character, that’s uplifting, whether that be a musician, or a film, or just something that’s eye-catching. He’s like a magpie when you go out with him”.
But what happens when he can’t access the spreadsheet, and isn’t at home to chat ideas over Earl Grey? “He’s got a bit of paper in his back pocket that he writes everything on, and he has to pull over [in the car] all the time to write stuff down,” says Anna. “There’s so much going through his head”. Great for those ad-hoc ideas – not so great when you’re running late for dinner.
All that organisation and being always-on is worth it, though, considering where Boden is now: a global brand, with over three decades in business, and employing over 900 people across Boden House, the Leicester warehouse, and our Boston offices in the US. The girls are obviously immensely proud of what their dad’s done, but what do they think he’s most proud of? “Nothing’s perfect, but [the business] has pretty clean morals and ethics. If he knew Boden was using dodgy factories, or if anyone associated with Boden was unhappy, he would be really upset. He’s not ruthless like a lot of people in business are. Even before it was trending, he’s always said being kind, and doing the right thing, is really important.” We couldn’t agree more, Anna. “And”, says Katie, “he loves inspiring people. Anything aesthetic and brave and out of the ordinary inspires him. Literally anything and everything. Anything beautiful, anything or anyone with real character, that’s uplifting, whether that be a musician, or a film, or just something that’s eye-catching. He’s like a magpie when you go out with him”.
Clockwise, from top: Johnnie, Katie, Stella, Sophie and Anna.
Family, and home, is clearly where the heart is, for all the Bodens. They take time to spend time together – whether that’s their 4:30pm tea, or washing up together after Friday night pasta (their mum, Sophie, gets special praise for her slow-cooked creamy tomato sauce. Yum). “When we’re washing up after dinner, everyone will be jostling to get to the speakers because they want to show off,” says Katie, “and we’ll all dance while Dad is washing up (his favourite kitchen job).” What’s on the playlist? “Dance music. Dad’s into old disco, new disco, he’s really into house. He can even cope with some drum and bass. He’s good with music.”
When he’s not scrubbing up on his dishwashing-DJ skills, Johnnie’s there for the all-important fatherly advice, too. According to Katie, “He has the most solid, unwavering moral compass. If I don’t know the right thing to do, I know that his judgement will be the right one. I know if I follow his advice, I can sleep at night… He’s the most reliable person in the world. He would postpone his funeral if it meant picking something up for you. He’s also so, so generous. He would give you his last penny. He’s generous in spirit as well, and really fun.”
Family, and home, is clearly where the heart is, for all the Bodens. They take time to spend time together – whether that’s their 4:30pm tea, or washing up together after Friday night pasta (their mum, Sophie, gets special praise for her slow-cooked creamy tomato sauce. Yum). “When we’re washing up after dinner, everyone will be jostling to get to the speakers because they want to show off,” says Katie, “and we’ll all dance while Dad is washing up (his favourite kitchen job).” What’s on the playlist? “Dance music. Dad’s into old disco, new disco, he’s really into house. He can even cope with some drum and bass. He’s good with music.”
When he’s not scrubbing up on his dishwashing-DJ skills, Johnnie’s there for the all-important fatherly advice, too. According to Katie, “He has the most solid, unwavering moral compass. If I don’t know the right thing to do, I know that his judgement will be the right one. I know if I follow his advice, I can sleep at night… He’s the most reliable person in the world. He would postpone his funeral if it meant picking something up for you. He’s also so, so generous. He would give you his last penny. He’s generous in spirit as well, and really fun.”
