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Top 10 Facts About French Luxury Brand Longchamp
Longchamp is a French luxury leather goods company that was founded in Paris in 1948. The brand’s founder Jean Cassegrain produced the world’s first luxury leather-covered pipes, then expanded into alternative leather goods such as bags, passport holders, wallets and more.
Here are 10 fun facts you probably didn’t know about the brand:
1. Jean Cassegrain Founded Longchamp to Move Away From the Family Tobacco Business
Cassegrain’s father owned a successful tobacco business throughout his life, and it would have made sense for him to have taken over and continued in this legacy. But Cassegrain had different ideas; he started Longchamp to pivot away from this industry, and thankfully so. The endeavor made the family into billionaires!
Longchamp – by Longchamp – Wikimedia Commons
2. Longchamp is 100% Owned by the Cassegrain Family
It’s been 65 years since the brand’s inception, and Longchamp is now lead by Jean Cassegrain’s son, Philippe. According to FORBES, the brand is currently valued at an estimated $1.5 billion, or 1.1 billion Euros.
3. Only 30% of Longchamp’s Revenue Comes from France
While the brand is well loved in their homeland, only 30% of its total revenue actually comes from French soil. The rest of the world are equally as fond of the company, and Longchamp enjoys revenue of 30% is from the rest of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, with 25% in Asia and 15% in America.
4. Longchamp is a Coming of Age Tradition
Well, for those who can afford it. Somehow, it’s become an unofficial-official tradition amongst families in France, for mothers to gift their daughters their very first Longchamp handbag at the tender age of just 15.
5. The Brand was Supposed to be Called Cassegrain
But unfortunately this name was already trademarked in France, so the family had to come up with other ideas. Longchamp is the name of the racetrack in the Bois de Boulogne, the biggest green-space in Paris, and it served as in inspiration for the naming of the brand.
Bois De Boulogne – by Free On Line Photos – Wikimedia Commons
Top 10 Facts About the Bois de Boulogne in Paris
6. The Brand is Known for their All-Star Collabls
Some of the biggest supermodels in the world have represented Longchamp, as well as other notable celebrities and big-names in fashion.
Showstoppers such as supermodel Kate Moss and Canadian supermodel Coco Rocha, as well as trendsetters Alexa Chung and most notably Kendall Jenner.
7. The Le Pliage Bag is the Brand’s Signature
The bag was designed and launched in 1993 as a collaboration between Philippe Cassegrain and Isabelle Guyon. Made with real leather and the highest quality nylon, the bag has been seen donned by the likes of the royals themselves. Duchess Kate Middleton is an avid lover of le Pilage!
8. Since Release Over 30 Million le Pilage Bags Have Been Sold
In the fashion world, this is considered a major success. It took the team three years to perfect the bag in the design stages, and it was eventually decided that the bag would be released in 12 standard colors.
9. It Has Since Been Re-Released via Multiple Collabs
The collaborations with Longchamp are constant, and since the original release, the bag has since been remade in over 150 different patterns and prints. It’s been a very tough act for the brand to follow, and it seems the world simply can’t get enough of the signature piece.
You know what they say? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This is the epitome of the Pilage Bag.
10. Le Pilage Isn’t as Fancy as it Sounds
This high quality iconic piece has a mouthful of a name to anyone who is not native French speaking. Funny enough, le Pilage simply means folding bag — a very literal description of what the piece represents.
Who knows what the future holds for Longchamp. It’s easy to respect any brand that operates in the luxury category, but still keeps their pieces relatively affordable for the average household.
