Lourdes! is named after my Lola (tagalog for Grandma) which felt like the perfect name for a project between my mum, my aunt and me, Camille :)

Back in the Philippines, in a place called Cavite, my mum and aunt help to run a knitwear factory. There, they produce knits for well-known global brands, but what most excites them are their passion projects, like this one, or developing new approaches to sustainable fibres and creating clever materials that stay cool in the Philippine heat.

For Lourdes! the bags were started off on a manual knitting machine to build each panel - the front, back, strap and base. The pieces then get stitched together with the linking machine. The joined-up bags then get shrink-washed to meet our intended measurements and the final touches like the label and zipper get sewn on. The insides are then hand stitched to tidy up any excess yarn and close off the seams.

With the help of many FaceTime calls and a couple of rounds of samples - Lourdes! was born. Starting off with knitted bags made to be comfy, cute and practical, with more things on the way.