When it comes to crafting iconic carryalls, few brands have a (literal) handle on the art quite like Longchamp.
In the three decades since it first hit the market, the company’s cult-favorite Le Pliage tote has earned legions of royal and celebrity admirers — and, most recently, spawned a colorful new Longchamp x Robert Indiana collection.
“It’s a product that is so universal; everybody carries it,” Longchamp’s Global CEO, Jean Cassegrain, tells Page Six Style of the tote.
That includes Kate Middleton, who was first photographed with a Le Pliage at her college graduation. She continued to carry the design during her early years as a royal, toting versions everywhere from the 2012 Olympics to airports in Australia.
Longchamp Le Pliage Original M Tote Bag
She’s far from Longchamp’s only famous fan, however, as the bags have also appeared on the arms of Lupita Nyong’o, Jennifer Lopez, Kendall Jenner and Kaia Gerber — the latter of whom once closed the brand’s runway show.
Even so, when the collapsible purse first hit the market, Hollywood fame wasn’t part of the design equation.
“When my father designed [it] back in 1993, I think his goal … was to design something simple but original,” Cassegrain tells us.
“In a way, it’s the holy grail for a designer because it’s much easier to design something complicated than to design something simple,” he added of the origami-inspired tote, which is named for the French word for “folding.”
These days, the classic bags also take the form of backpacks and pouches — in addition to the original totes, now sold in small ($125), medium ($140) and large ($155) sizes in a wide array of colors.
It’s that same “use of color” and “graphic simplicity” in late American pop art icon Robert Indiana’s famed “Love” artwork that made working with the Robert Indiana Legacy Initiative an “obvious choice,” according to Cassegrain.
Longchamp x Robert Indiana M Tote Bag
Longchamp x Robert Indiana XS Handbag
After all, when asked why stars are so smitten with the brand’s designs, he says it comes down to one thing: love.
“There is a relationship between the brand and its customer that is very intimate,” he says. “There are brands that are bigger than us …. but in terms of the love factor, let’s say, I think we’re pretty high [up there]. I think we are a love brand, in a way.”
Below, shop additional styles from the collection:
Longchamp x Robert Indiana XS Handbag
Longchamp x Robert Indiana L Handbag
