> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.foundedbywomen.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Lubay: The Vegan Bag Brand Built by One Woman in Belgium, Name from Kalinga, Made in Belgium - URL: https://www.foundedbywomen.org/women-who-lead/lubay-the-vegan-bag-brand-built-by-one-woman-in-belgium-name-from-kalinga-made-in-belgium/ - Published: 2026-10-12T05:20:41.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-12T05:20:41.000Z - Author: Editorial team - Tags: Women Who Lead Soho Francotte did not plan to become a bag designer. After years of touring Europe with a Belgian music project, she and her partner moved to the Belgian countryside in 2020, hoping for a quieter rhythm between tours. Then Covid ended touring overnight. The first lockdown gave her the time to finally learn pattern-making and sewing, and questions about who makes our clothes, where and under what conditions, which had followed her since her philosophy studies, turned into a brand. [Lubay](http://en.lubay.be/?ref=foundedbywomen.org) was born in 2021, as a vegan label with EU-made materials, no PVC, and every bag made by hand in Belgium. Building a brand alone means doing everything: designing, cutting and assembling each bag, but also the website, photography, communication, customer service, orders and finances. Soho is candid that independence does not make things easier. The hardest part is visibility without a marketing budget, since Lubay is entirely self-funded. Still, she would rather grow slowly than let others dictate the direction of the brand. Behind the name is a personal story. Adopted from the Philippines as a baby and raised in Belgium, Soho eventually found both her biological families, who are Kalinga, and it was an aunt and uncle who suggested the name Lubay. Paired with “made in Belgium,” it reflects both parts of her identity, and neither cancels out the other. Her goal for what comes next is pragmatic: a financially stable business with a solid foundation that can last through harder economic times. > Know a founder (or are one) doing incredible work? **Founded by Women Awards** are open for entries. If you're building something bold, leading with purpose, or driving change in your industry, we'd love for you to enter. 👉 [foundedbywomen.org/awards](https://www.foundedbywomen.org/awards/) --- ### Q: You went from studying philosophy and touring Europe with a Belgian music project to teaching yourself pattern-making and founding Lubay in 2021\. What led you to make that change? When my partner and I left Brussels for the Belgian countryside in 2020, we were looking for a different rhythm of life. After years of touring Europe with a Belgian music project, we wanted somewhere quiet, surrounded by nature, to come home to between tours. Then Covid happened, followed by successive lockdowns. Touring became impossible, with no clear idea of when it might resume. I had to rethink my professional future and find something I could do from where we now lived, while keeping creativity an important part of my work. I'd always wanted to learn how to sew and draft my own clothing patterns, but had never really found the time. The first lockdown finally gave me that opportunity. There was something else behind the decision, too. Around the time I was studying philosophy, I began questioning the way the fashion industry operates: where our clothes and accessories are made, by whom, and under what conditions. The relocation of production overseas, and later the rise of fast and ultra-fast fashion, raised questions that still concern me today. As I began learning pattern-making and sewing, the idea of creating my own brand gradually took shape. I considered clothing at first, but working alone and without external funding, developing garments in multiple sizes and managing the corresponding materials and stock would have been financially difficult. Bags seemed a more realistic starting point, while still offering plenty of creative possibilities. I also liked the idea of designing something that accompanies women through so many different moments of their lives. Having been vegan for over a decade, making vegan bags wasn't really a decision I had to make. It was simply a given. The choices came when selecting the materials themselves. I wanted to understand what they were made from, where they came from and how they were produced. Choosing materials made in the European Union, and avoiding PVC, were part of that process. I don't pretend that Lubay offers a solution to the wider problems of the fashion industry. But I knew that if I was going to create a brand, I wanted to know exactly where its products were made, how, and by whom. Making every bag myself in Belgium was a way of putting that conviction into practice. Lubay was born in 2021, out of circumstances I hadn't anticipated, but also from interests and questions that had been with me for much longer. ### Q: Lubay is entirely independent and every bag is made by you in Belgium, using vegan materials derived from apple waste and grape marc. What does building a brand this way look like day to day, and what has been the hardest part? Day to day, it means doing almost everything myself. I design the bags, develop the patterns, select the materials, cut, assemble and finish each piece. But I also manage the website, photography, communication, customer service, orders and the financial side of the business. I think people sometimes imagine that running your own brand means spending your days doing what you love most. And of course, designing and making bags are central to what I do. But they're only part of the picture. It's something I already experienced during my years in music. People see the concert, just as they now see the finished bag, but there's an enormous amount of work behind both. If I'm working on the website, I'm not designing. If I'm taking photographs, I'm not making bags. And if I'm making bags, I'm not working on communication. Everything takes longer when you're doing it alone, but I don't necessarily see that as a difficulty. It's simply the reality of running Lubay on my own. The hardest part has been building visibility without significant financial resources. Lubay is entirely self-funded, so I don't have the budget for large advertising campaigns or for sending bags to numerous influencers and content creators. In fashion, those resources can make a considerable difference to how quickly a brand becomes known. I can develop a new design and make it myself, so creating the collection isn't where I feel most limited. Reaching the people who might appreciate those designs is much more challenging. It takes time, and progress is inevitably slower when you don't have a marketing team, a communications department or substantial advertising budgets behind you. I wouldn't say that doing everything independently is necessarily the ideal way to build a brand. It's simply how Lubay has been built, with the resources I have. More financial resources would certainly make it possible to grow faster, particularly in terms of visibility. But I wouldn't want that growth to come at the cost of having other people dictate the direction of the brand. There's a difference between choosing to remain independent and pretending that independence makes everything easier. ### Q: The name Lubay comes from Kalinga and is always paired with “made in Belgium”. What does that pairing mean to you, and what is next for Lubay? As someone who was adopted as a baby from the Philippines and raised in Belgium, I've spent a lot of time thinking about origins and belonging. Growing up, I often felt that being Belgian was something I had to explain or prove, rather than something people simply accepted. Yet Belgium is where I grew up, where I was educated, and where all my cultural references come from. At the same time, I know that I don't share the upbringing, language or everyday cultural experiences of someone who grew up in the Philippines. I don't speak Filipino or Kalinga. Adoption adds another layer to those questions. There's often an expectation that adoptees should feel permanently grateful, and sometimes an uncomfortable judgment surrounding the desire to understand where we come from. But wanting to know more about your origins doesn't mean rejecting the life you've lived. After years of searching, I eventually managed to find both my biological families in the Philippines, on my mother's and father's sides. Both families are Kalinga, and it was an aunt and uncle who suggested the name Lubay. So the name has a very personal connection to the families I was able to find. Over time, I've also reached a point where I feel genuinely at peace with my identity. It's something I find quite remarkable myself, considering how many questions I once had. I no longer feel the need to choose between different parts of my story, or to prove that I belong entirely to one or the other. That's what the pairing of Lubay and “made in Belgium” means to me. The name comes from Kalinga, a language spoken in the Philippines, while “made in Belgium” reflects the country where I grew up, the culture that shaped me, and where I now design and make every bag. Both are part of who I am. Neither needs to cancel out the other. As for what's next, I'd like Lubay to become better known and reach enough customers to build a financially stable business. I'm quite pragmatic about it. I don't dream of building a huge company or pursuing growth for its own sake. What matters to me is creating a solid foundation that allows Lubay to continue, including through more difficult economic times. For me, that would be a meaningful achievement. > Are you a woman leader with an inspiring story? Founded by Women elevates the voices of women making an impact. > Breaking barriers or paving the way for others? We'd love to feature you. Get in touch! 👉 [hi@foundedbywomen.org](mailto:hi@foundedbywomen.org)