Longchamp Plays With Puppies, Pirates and Le Pliage in Collaboration With TOILETPAPER Magazine
Hypebae chats with Creative Director Sophie Delafontaine on blending the brand’s Parisian DNA with mischievous art.
Longchamp lends itself as a creative canvas once more, this time in collaboration with TOILETPAPER Magazine. Helmed by Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari, the Italian arts publication is known for its mischievous and eye-chatching designs — making it a perfect collaborator for the artistically-fueled, Parisian brand.
Drawing inspiration from classic Gallic symbols and Longchamp’s signature motifs, the creative team gave the classic Le Pliage® bags a mesmerizing makeover. The collection features five unique designs in “Candy Pink,” “Sky Blue,” and “Sunshine Yellow” and is completed with a TOILETCHAMPLONGPAPER silk ribbon and key chain.
Read more to hear from Creative Director Sophie Delafontaine on the optimistic partnership and the Longchamp legacy.
LONGCHAMP
Longchamp has always been a part of your life, how have you seen the brand evolve over the decades?
My grandfather founded the company so, even when I was child we lived in central Paris where we had the store and the office and I was living with my parents on top of the building. Every day I was in between these spaces and I was seeing the product and my family working on it. It’s a great opportunity to be able to continue this story with my brothers and we’ve tried to develop it as much as we can. The idea is really to be able to transmit it to the next generation. We already have my two nephews working with us. It’s great to be in a family company as it’s becoming very rare. So, I’m very proud.
LONGCHAMP
What have been key moments of transformation for Longchamp that have stood out to you?
When I joined my father in1995, I tried to bring my experience and my feminine point of view to develop the fashion part of Longchamp. We were a company oriented on bags, functionality and quality so, I tried to improve the fashion spirit with new material and energy.
In 2006, with my brother, we decided to start ready-to-wear to give a fuller vision of the Longchamp woman. It was a very strategic step. Also, in 2004, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Le Pliage®, we had a huge collaboration with Tracy Emin. That was the beginning of a long story for our brand where art meets fashion. After, we also had the retail development of Longchamp all over the world. Also, we started to work on the synergy between digital and physical retail. So, in nearly two years, we have been able to redesign all the house stuff. We have been lucky that each new step has been very successful.
LONGCHAMP
Are your fashion and art inspirations cut from the same cloth?
For me, everything is one inspiration. My father taught me creative curiosity. I love to travel, I love to discover new people and I love to sit at the terrace and to see people walking on the street. Everything can be inspiring when you’re curious. Art has always been my strongest inspiration because I’ve had the opportunity to work with really amazing artists from fashion designers to architects to photographers to models like Kate Moss and Kendall Jenner.
An artist is someone who is creating without any constraints. A designer is someone who is creating constraints. So, for me, as a designer, I am always fascinated by people who create without any constraints. I work on the collection so, I work on the design path but I’m happy to work with artists so they can present the collection and have creative input all around the development of the products.
LONGCHAMP
What brought on the collaboration with TOILETPAPER, how did you begin?
I have always followed the work of TOILETPAPER. For me, it’s not a magazine it’s an art book. What I love in their work is their optimistic vision — it’s something we have in common. Longchamp always plays with colors, we are an independent company and we are full of energy. So, it was really a fun game. TOILETPAPER is more provocative than us but it’s never vulgar, it’s always so well done and straight to the point. For me, a successful collaboration is when we have a good mix in between the Longchamp DNA and the artist DNA. It needs to embody our values and level of quality and at the same time it’s important that as soon as you see the product you understand that it’s the collaborators product, too.
Here we have played with signals from Longchamp‘s Parisan heritage but in a new way. So, for example, you have the Longchamp horse which is very strong but you have it floating in the clouds which makes it independent, light and full of emotional spirit.
LONGCHAMP
TOILETPAPER is dubbed a “mischievous arts publication” with a very unique and eye-catching visual language — what was the most exciting part about the process?
The process is more or less the same but the approach is totally different. A fashion designer is used to working with material like fabric or leather. But when you work with an artist they are used to being free so, I like to give them as much freedom as I can and see what they imagine. It’s always very interesting to see different approaches.
