Charcoal & Shells

As part of Antwerp Fashion Festival 2026, we created a capsule within the ongoing Shell Collection research project. Centred around the theme of Charcoal & Shells, translated into materials, form, installation, and dining.
We collaborated with restaurant Nage to hold a dinner in celebration of the collection. The evening began with the screening of a short documentary film showing the making of the Ensis bag, followed by a menu curated around the theme of Charcoal & Shells.

Centered around nature, erosion, layering, and the organic forms of shells, the collection continues the exploration of sculptural bag-making through movement, pleating, and material experimentation. With the Oyster bag as its first design, the bags are not constructed according to a classic pattern; instead, their volume emerges through movement and delicate pleating.

For this new capsule, the visual language is connected to the earthy materiality of leather and wood, which in turn are confronted with the transformative, almost destructive force of fire. Within this field of tension, a newly developed leather is introduced: “Charcoal,” in which Ensis III also finds its form and meaning.

At the center of the presentation is Ensis III, a new edition of the Ensis bag, developed in collaboration with designer-furniture maker Jonas Van Put. Inspired by the shape of a razor shell, or Ensis, the bag is constructed from two leather halves brought together by a wooden handle. For Ensis III, the handle undergoes a controlled burning process, while the bag itself is made from charcoal leather and black Crispy calf, a rare leather that achieves a natural pattern through shrinking the hide. Charring wood is a Japanese method of wood preservation, called Shou Sugi Ban, where the carbonized surface acts as an protective layer for the material.

For Ensis III in charcoal, the charred wooden handle is finished with a white oil treatment to match the leather. The material consists of a black and white layer that results in a layered visual effect.

In the weeks leading up to the launch, we worked on creating a world around the collection. Both our Antwerp store and Nage were transformed into a small exhibition that showed the process and research behind the collection. Our colleague Leni Vander Steene made charred wooden panels and objects from reclaimed wood. Printed fabrics were placed within these panels to explain the collection, while additional panels showed small pieces of wood at different stages of the charring process. The dining tables were decorated with small objects with references to the collection made in our Antwerp atelier.