Pineapple leaves and cork, the vegan bags of a Namur craftswoman
Report Valentine Van Vyve
Philosopher by training, successively an English teacher then a musician and singer in a group, soon to be 36, Soho Francotte is reinventing itself once again, thanks to the Covid. “I used to be on the road, traveling, meeting people… And overnight, the theaters closed and that life stopped,” she recalls with a hint of bitterness in the voice. "Without perspective", she then feels the "need to project herself".
"As a musician, what you create is intangible, continues the young woman. I wanted to create, this time, something physical with my hands." She knows how to draw patterns and has basic sewing skills. A hobby that she had put aside to pursue her musical dreams and to which she chose – since she has the time – to devote herself. "I had already thought that I would like to make bags and accessories," she slips. His hands, rather than strumming on a keyboard or tapping on percussion, now handle the thread and the needle. They give shape to matter…rather than making the air vibrate and the waves fly away.
In July 2021, she launched her business. "I couldn't help but think you had to be crazy to throw a box at that time!", she laughs a few months later.
Vegetable leather goods
"Being vegan, it was obvious that I would get into vegan leather goods too", continues the young craftswoman. Even more constraining, it is looking for alternatives to animal leather as well as that from petrochemicals. Exit therefore, the well-known imitation leather, made of plastic. Among the existing materials, Soho Francotte unearthed two plant-based materials that meet the eco-responsible criteria it has set for itself: cork and Piñatex. If the first is known to the general public mainly for its transformation into corks, the second is probably only known to an informed public of "vegan lifestyle, the automotive and shoe industry sector", raises with smile Soho Francotte.
However, Piñatex has multiple advantageous properties : "Currently used to make shoes and car seats, it is extremely robust and durable over time", she explains. Its durability is also due to the fact that it is part of a certain circularity. This is because the fibers come from pineapple leaves that would otherwise be burned by the farmers who grow them. Waste from the agricultural industry, they find in leather goods an outlet that gives them value. “Obviously, the farmers derive an income from it”, underlines Soho Francotte. A way, for the one who was born in the Philippines, to "support the local population".
As for cork – if Soho Francotte "wasn't a fan of it at first !" – it also has the advantage of solidity in addition to natural impermeability, which is so useful in our regions. At the ecological level, "its use does not require cutting down trees, insists Soho Francotte. We take the bark of the tree, which then regenerates on its own for 9 to 15 years". This particularity also has the advantage of not pushing to extend the land intended for non-food crops, she still believes.
To the touch, the Piñatex "is textured", describes the designer. Small irregular reliefs indeed mark the material, dyed in various colors. On the contrary, cork is as soft as a baby's skin! "Surprisingly indeed ! As it is wood, we expect a rough material", comments Soho Francotte. It is, just as surprisingly, malleable and of great finesse.
“Consistency takes time !”
In constant search of new materials, she would try cactus leather, straight from Mexico. "But there are no European suppliers yet," she laments. A brake, for this creator steeped in values, because alongside respect for animal welfare and the environment, Lubay places an important emphasis on respect for workers : their wages and their working conditions. "This is the reason why I work with European suppliers and workshops, where the working conditions are respectful of the workers", she motivates. The Piñatex, from the Philippines, is thus transported by a Spanish company, which transforms and dyes the fibers in the Iberian Peninsula. Cork is grown and processed in Portugal.
If she does not deviate from the line she has set, "consistency takes time", notes the entrepreneur. Finally, his diary is filled more with “the search for materials, the management of contacts with suppliers, that of communication and social networks, accounting…” than with hours spent behind his sewing machine. "It's like in music: we spend most of the time rehearsing and looking for concerts rather than playing in front of the public", she compares.
The tangible result of this "Swiss army knife" work are handbags, backpacks, clutches and accessories made in limited series. "I don't have a lot of stock," says the designer. There's no need to sell them off at seasonal sales either – "I don't want to sell off work," she says. In the same vein, there is no question of creating seasonal collections : the pieces are designed "for the whole year and are durable over time".
Sold on its e-shop and in a few designer boutiques in Liège and Namur, Soho Francotte is looking for new outlets for its pieces, "why not in classic leather goods, to offer an alternative?" Although she is aware that these products are part of a "niche" market, she has noted that the "made in Belgium" is increasingly sought after and valued by "a consumer who the Covid has made more aware of in his own way. to buy". “We too often forget that we also know how to do things with our hands…”, she raises again. And to call for the promotion of Belgian craftsmanship. An economic lever, thinks the one who "dreams of employing people in order to have an impact on the development of the region".
A region in which she settled in full confinement, with her companion, leaving Brussels for this peaceful corner of the Ardennes. “Lubay, I hope this is my last change of life!” laughs the designer. Outside, below the wooden house on stilts, the vegetable plots have been carefully covered with a thick layer of straw and grass for the winter. When spring comes, the seedlings that are already growing behind the large bay window will be planted there. "We are trying to be self-sufficient in fruits and vegetables", slips Soho Francotte. Will she, one day, put the needles aside to plunge her hands into the earth… ?
A new change of life does not seem excluded!
