Sophie travels everywhere and does everything, but visiting Belgium has her so excited she can barely contain herself. As the ambassador of LUC8K she’s thrilled about seeing the first store that will sell LUC8K leather bags and accessories. But first there are adventures.
For such a small country, Belgium is extremely complex and vitally important within Europe and the rest of the world. It is also a divided country with the Dutch speaking Flemish in the north and French speaking Wallonia in the south. In fact, the only thing the two sides can agree on is that they hold no loyalty to this country called Belgium. This divide has caused the government to completely shut down on a seemingly regular basis.
But somehow the country of 10.5 million people not only survives but thrives.
Sophie begins her trip in Brussels, Belgium’s largest city, its capital and the capital of the European Union. The city, like the country, was founded during the Middle Ages and has preserved that heritage better than most of its neighbors. Despite the old world heritage the city is vibrant and modern with a good public transportation, uniquely fine Belgium cuisine and Ale, and unusual sights.
One of the top sights in the city is Manneken Pis
For reasons no one quite understands one of the top sights in the city is Manneken Pis (little pee man in Flemish), a tiny bronze fountain statue. The stories surrounding the sculpture are more interesting than the piece itself. No one seems to know when or why it was erected but there are strange tales about its origins. It is often in costume, reflecting celebrations and historical events throughout the year.
The statue is erected above the streetscape making Sophie the only tourist in the world who can view the statue eye-to-eye, which she does. She doesn’t quite know what to make of it and soon moves to the next unusual attraction.Within the midst of this medieval city stands a futuristic monument that is so out-of-place that it has become iconic. Called Atomium, the metallic statue of tubes and spheres depicts an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. It was built in 1958 for the Brussels World’s Fair to celebrate the atomic age. It now serves as a museum with a top sphere containing a restaurant with a panoramic view of the city. CNN named it Europe’s most bizarre building. Again, Sophie is baffled and amused by the monument.Sophie leaves Brussels and travels north to the fashionable OCEAN Couture concept store in Sint-Niklaas. It is the reason for her visit as it is the first store in the world to sell LUC8K bags and accessories.There Sophie sees her friend Karen Olivo, the founder and CEO of LUC8K. All of its leather products (Tote, Shopper, Wallet and Cardholder) are available. Now customers can see and touch the product and note the high quality of materials. To learn more about the company there’s an iPad with an offline version of the LUC8K website. It will show color options for its bags and provide information on its sustainable practices. The products can be purchased at the store or made-to-order at the store for delivery in 6 weeks. OCEAN Couture, founded by Belgian designer Katerina V., specializes in swimwear inspired by the Ocean fish of Hawaii. She uses fish prints with a new technology of digital printing on Italian plain fabric and combined this with high quality fabrics from USA and the E.U.Sophie understands immediately that the modern, fashionable concept for clothing is a perfect match for LUC8K.
