Walk into a Longchamp boutique anywhere in the world, and you will feel as if you were being welcomed into a friend’s Paris apartment. Just as every home reflects the passions, experiences, and personality of the people who live there, so Longchamp’s new design concept reflects its heritage and savoir-faire, energy, and optimism.
Inspired by the idea of the quintessential Parisian apartment – reflecting the fact that Longchamp was born in Paris in 1948 – the décor creates a warm and welcoming ambiance and highlights the values shared by Longchamp and its clients, notably creative curiosity and a cosmopolitan mindset.
Wander around a newly renovated Longchamp boutique, and you will see that, as in a private apartment, each space has its own special ambiance. The welcome area with its high desk – referencing an authentic workshop table – spotlights the season’s key pieces on bookshelf-inspired displays. The latest leather goods and accessories are juxtaposed with prints, books, and decorative objects evoking the themes and colors of each collection, and as such will change every season. At the heart of Longchamp’s Parisian apartment is the lounge, complete with typical
Haussmannian moldings, vintage-style furniture, cozy rugs, and comfortable chairs. This is the place to make yourself at home with a complimentary coffee, surrounded by a fascinating array of one-off objects, from flea-market finds to specially commissioned pieces, which conjure the spirit of a cabinet of curiosities. In line with its unique status, Le Pliage® has a space all its own: a “library” wall energized by vertical stripes of pop color, behind which the bags are neatly stored in niches according to their color and format.
As in a lovingly curated apartment, every detail reflects the codes and values of Longchamp. Touches of heritage dark green evoke tradition and authenticity, while splashes of bold light green convey energy and modernity. Sometimes the two are juxtaposed, as on a pair of large glass decanters or a duo of “Donut” mugs hand-crafted by the Paris-based designer Pia Chevalier – one of a number of collaborations with creative talents who share Longchamp’s attachment to artisanal savoir-faire.
A key feature of the new design concept is the presence, in every boutique, of at least one item from the Longchamp archives. Longchamp famously started life as a maker of leather-covered pipes and smokers’ accessories, and these fascinating articles, placed alongside its contemporary collections, tell its story with wit and modernity.
Other decorative objects, carefully chosen to reflect the importance Longchamp attaches to creativity and craftsmanship, are repurposed to display accessories or small leather goods: a fruit basket holds purses, a lacquer tray shows off a belt, while wallets are displayed on woven trays, reminiscent of Paris bistro chairs, crafted by French designer Philippe Model in colors chosen by Longchamp Creative Director Sophie Delafontaine.
