Story | Leslie Yip Photography | LongChamp
More than 32 million have been sold since it launched in 1993. It is carried by countless celebrities and rumoured to be found in every home in France. What is the story behind Longchamp’s iconic Le Pliage, and why is it having an identity crisis now?
Longchamp’s iconic creation is not a bag but a concept representing a lifestyle of adventure, movement and energy. Crafted with Russian leather handles, a signature flap and colourful nylon, Le Pliage is named after the French verb “to fold,” because it can be folded up and stowed away. It is designed by the brand founder’s son, Philippe Cassegrain, who was inspired by the origami art he saw on a trip to Japan in the ’90s.
It has been touted as a design legend since its launch in 1993, because of its ingenuity, as well as its status as the first style to pair nylon and leather in a chic way. It is well loved for its versatility and durability—the original nylon canvas is used by the French army as the floor of its tents. And for those who are seeking an environmentally friendly alternative, a new Le Pliage Green line is now available, featuring recycled polyamide canvas made from plastic water bottles and tone-on-tone trimmings.
To celebrate the launch of Le Pliage Green and the timeless original style, the brand partnered up with Los Angeles boutique creative network Fred & Farid for a visual campaign. It includes a miniseries of nine short films and still images by internationally-awarded director, photographer, visual artist and designer Sander Plug.
In the films, we see the iconic bag used as a bucket to feed a horse, slide across the floor like a curling stone and folded up like one does with croissant pastry. It begins to question its identity. “Am I a bag? Am I not a bag?” It even attends a group therapy, sees a psychiatrist and undergoes hypnosis to try to find out the answer.
This identity crisis is actually the tongue-in-cheek theme of the campaign: “It is not a bag. It is Le Pliage.” The inspiration is from an insightful observation from Longchamp’s CEO Jean Cassegrain and Artistic Director Sophie Delefontaine, that: “Le Pliage is not a bag. It is a concept.” It represents the desire to go places and to get things done, all the while looking stylish.
