meet Jasmijn, the colourful creative behind our biggest crossbody bag

Meet Jasmijn Verlinden, the woman who inspired Lies to make our most spacious crossbody bag.
Jasmijn runs her own business as a brand strategist, a family with two small balls of fire, and a series of side projects. 

She willfully follows her path in everything she does, trusting her gut feeling to know what's best for her. Her colourful personality is reflected in her wardrobe, which contains a mix of colours, textures, and iconic pieces from mainly Belgian designers.

Lies immediately envisioned the Jasmijn bag: crossbody to match Jasmijn's busy life but bolder and more spacious than our classic CMMC. The final design can pack it all without compromising on aesthetics. With two extra inside compartments added in the front and back of the bag, the bag leaves room for those unexpected treasures you might find along the way. In the case of Jasmijn: seashells collected on the shore by her two sons.

We can't help but notice the playful elements and accents Jasmijn puts in both her outfits and strategic presentations. Striving to make the world a better place and helping brands to squeeze the most out of everything they do, she has become a valued satellite member of our team.

We took this opportunity to ask Jasmijn about her personal sustainable efforts:

1. Fashion-wise, I believe in less and better. I love statement pieces but only buy what I think I will be able to pull off and combine for years to come. I co-launched the 'Ik koop Belgisch' campaign almost ten years ago and have (almost) exclusively been buying Belgian brands for myself and my family. Whenever I can buy something from a local brand (not only in terms of garments), I will.

2. Food makes my world go round, so in hindsight, I must have been pretty determined when I became a vegetarian at thirteen. At the time, twenty years ago, the offer of meat alternatives was slim. Veggie burgers came in bulk and always seemed to contain corn, carrots and raisins. When I left for university, I started exploring only vegetarian dishes and international cuisines. I fell in love with Ottolenghi to such an extent that my colleagues thought my son, Otto Nelson's name, was an anagram of his (it isn't, but I do love this story). When my youngest turned out to have severe food allergies, we started experimenting with veganism. Today, we're somewhere in the middle, always hunting for tasty alternatives to animal-based foods.

3. We live in the city centre of Antwerp and cycle as much as we can. That's why we decided not to own a car. I love to test the limits of our cargo bike. You can regularly spot me transporting voluminous or peculiar freights. For longer trips, we rent a car through a sharing platform like Cambio or Goboony. I briefly used to have a company car, and when I had to give it up, I was terrified our life would become super complicated. It turns out it is a matter of mindset. Plus, not needing to find a parking spot in Antwerp is a blessing. I love to travel and used to fly loads. However, I try to phase that out and pick train or car-friendly travel destinations.

Want to know even more about Jasmijn and take a peek inside her colourful home? Read on in our '7 questions with' interview.