Bread Boot

Designer(s): Studio CoPain (Léa Bardin, Lucile Barbier, Sidonie Lepetit)

Bio of the designer:

Studio CoPain is a collective of three French designers who redefine the boundaries of design by blending craftsmanship, food, and storytelling. Their work explores the symbolic and sensory dimension of bread, which they consider a creative material in its own right. Their multidisciplinary work ranges from culinary design to scenography, workshops and product design, always approached with a curiosity for how materials and traditions can be reimagined.

Much of their practice centers around bread, particularly sourdough, which they treat as both a familiar staple and a material rich with creative potential. This fascination came to life during their studies at the Design Academy of Eindhoven in the Netherlands, from which they graduated with a common project called “Bread Making for Community Building”, in 2024. 

For them, bread is not simply food; it’s a living substance, shaped by time, hands, and care. It carries with it centuries of knowledge, yet remains open to new interpretations. Studio CoPain works with bread much like other designers might work with clay or wood kneading, carving, shaping it into objects, experiences, and spaces that invite people to connect in unexpected ways. In their hands, bread becomes more than nourishment; it becomes a vessel for stories.

This deep respect for bread’s history runs throughout their work. In rural French villages, baking bread was once a communal act. Families would gather at the village oven, each bringing their own dough. In order to recognise their loaves after baking, they would mark them through scoring, stamping, or ornamenting. 

This tradition resonates strongly with Studio CoPain and shapes their approach to design. Whether crafting bread-based objects, curating meals, or designing spaces, they see each gesture, every score, emboss, or carve as a way of giving character and individuality to their work. 

At the heart of their process is Suzy, the sourdough starter which was born at the very beginning of their collaboration. Affectionately named, Suzy has followed them ever since across projects, kitchens, and countries. Like any sourdough starter, she is alive and constantly evolving, shaped by the environments she moves through and the hands that work with her. As she ferments and levens, she influences not only the bread, but also those who share in eating it an invisible exchange between the starter, its maker, and the community it feeds.

For Studio CoPain, bread becomes a medium that allows them to explore ideas of heritage, care, and the simple yet profound act of leaving a mark. With their project "Croûte que Croûte", they transform bread into objects. Chairs, vases, and lamps are entirely handcrafted from “pâte morte"; a type of bread dough used for sculpting. Inspired by traditional decorative bakery techniques, their pieces pay homage to artisanal know-how while questioning our relationship with this universal food.

Through their creations, Studio CoPain celebrates bread as a symbol of connection, sharing, and heritage. By blurring the lines between art, design, and food, the collective invites us to rediscover the beauty of the gesture and the poetry of the everyday.

title:

Bread Boot

Short description: 

This Bread Boot is inspired by iconic Santiag boots, whose distinctive cut-out leatherwork creates images and narratives across the surface. We reimagined the boot entirely in bread, transforming a traditional footwear form into a sculptural object.

The boot is made from pâte morte, a special type of dough used in bakery competitions to create decorative and showcase pieces. The different tones and colors come naturally from the various flours used, including wheat, rye, corn, and burnt flour, giving the boot its layered, textured appearance.

materials used:

Bread 

measurements:

2 times : 37cm x 32cm x 6cm

selling price:

1 boot = 600 euros TTC

2 boots = 1200 euros TTC