WHO WE ARE
Soho Francotte
Founder of Lubay - Belgium
THE NAME
Lubay comes from there
I was born in the Philippines. Both my paternal and maternal families are Kalinga. Adopted at 6 months old in Belgium, this is where I grew up, studied, and worked. The name Lubay is Kalinga, and it is always accompanied by the mention "made in Belgium". Both are true. Both are me.
BACKGROUND
Philosophy, stage, then studio
Philosophy studies at university. Ten years on stage with Coffee Or Not, a Belgian musical project. These years shaped a way of working: thinking before doing, testing, returning to the essential.
In 2021, this logic found a new territory: the bag. An object to design, to make, and to take full responsibility for.
THE DESIGN
Shape and usage
A bag is a functional, intimate, and daily object. It holds what you need and moves where you go. Designing an object defined by daily usage and physical proximity requires a different focus than designing something purely decorative. The interaction between the user and the shape is what interests me.
The formal challenge is strictly structural. Creating a silhouette that possesses its own presence through lines and proportions, without relying on decorative ornaments, requires time and repetition. There are designs where the lines achieve the intended balance, like the Scaldis. There are others that require further development. Rarity and repetition are part of what makes a design stable.
THE VEGAN CHOICE
Structural consistency
I do not consume animal products. It was only consistent that the bags I make follow the same logic. This is not a marketing positioning; it is simply what I translate into my daily work: the total exclusion of animal materials.
Discovering European vegan next-gen materials, Leap® and Grape Skin®, confirmed that this consistency was possible without compromising on the shape or the design of the bag.
THE PRACTICE
One person. The full scope
Since 2021, I handle every single step: designing the lines and volumes, producing piece by piece in the studio-workshop in Baillamont, art direction, photography, writing, the website in four languages, and press relations.
This way of working is a chosen constraint: every decision is made here, tested here, corrected here.
RECOGNITION
Indicators
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Certified Artisan label – Belgium (national accreditation),
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“Coup de Cœur du Jury” Award – Vitrine de l’Artisan (2022),
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VOGUE feature (print + digital, 2024).
