Unfold, the making of the Oyster bag
The Oyster bag marks the beginning of the Shell Collection, a project that grew from collecting shells and observing how they form, layer, and evolve. Their folds, layers and protective structures became a starting point for thinking about volume in a different way.
The volume is created through a series of folds rather than a traditional side construction. Through repeated prototypes, we studied how those folds behave in leather and how the shape changes when carried.
De Oesterij
The research later brought us to De Oesterij in Zeeland. In conversation with Jean Dhooge, we looked at how oysters grow and how their shells change through their surroundings, movement and time.
The visit became the setting for the first Oyster bag campaign and a continuation of the observations that had started the collection.
Jean: “Oysters, of course, take time to cultivate. Four years, with everything in between, including all the risks. You start with a tiny oyster seed, and in the meantime, so much can happen. Farming in the sea is really just waiting, waiting, waiting. You have little control over whether it will survive, what the quality will be, or exactly what shape it will take. And that’s quite beautiful.”
Lies: “In fashion, there is an expectation to always move forward, to release, to produce. But sometimes, the right choice is to pause—to refine, to rethink, to let the process unfold organically. The Oyster Bag was meant to launch last year, but it wasn’t ready.”
Jean: “In the end, you have to be creative. You constantly have to adapt—to changes in nature, climate, rising sea levels. There’s no handbook for it. You must think, adjust, and create solutions. That applies to many craft professions. We may not make the oyster, but we guide the process as well as possible to produce something beautiful.”
the making of the Oyster bag
The Oyster bag is crafted in Calfino leather and handmade in our Italian atelier. Each piece reflects a balance of structure and fluidity, and marks the beginning of a new chapter in our work with form.
