Essential Macau | Longchamp: A French brand spanning 70 years


Above: Olivier Cassegrain, Sophie Delafontaine, Philippe and Jean Cassegrain

By Adriana Claro

One thing is certain, whenever Longchamp is mentioned famous ladies suitcases and travelling bags spring to mind as well as the accessories that have made this French brand a benchmark of elegance and quality for a vast number of women worldwide. Moreover, those that don’t know the history of this fashion house are often surprised to ironically discover that it all began with an accessory that has absolutely nothing to do with women – the pipe!

It was in 1948 in a Paris that was just getting over the war, at a time when the French were recovering their lives and US soldiers still patrolled the boulevards of the City of Light that had so recently been liberated that Jean Cassegrain took the helm of a small tobacconist and smoking accessories shop.

Located in the centre of Paris, the business was going great guns thanks to the US soldiers that were its main customers.  Tobacco was still seen as a respectable vice and the tobacco industry pulled considerable weight.   With the end of the conflict and when the Americans pulled out of the city there was a need to find a new clientèle made up of the Parisians that strolled through the elegant streets of the city and the growing number of tourists and foreign businessmen that travelled there.   So, Jean Cassegrain had the idea to create a pipe which had the particular feature of being covered in calfskin, but also with more exotic species like crocodile or lizard which gave it an original and refined touch.

Born in 1937, Philippe, son of Jean Cassegrain, was 11 years old when his father founded the business in the heart of the French capital and still remembers the first boutique.    “It was in Faubourg Poissonnière, in the second district, which was then a busy commercial area.  It was a big step forward, from Place de la République to the Madeleine. The Champs-Élysées hardly existed.”

Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer

 

Marlene Dietrich

 

Ray Charles and Johnny Halliday

 

When Marléne Dietrich, the famous German actress and singer was photographed with her cigarette holder, Cassegrain took the opportunity to create a complete range of attractive accessories for women too.  Crocodile and lizard skin were the raw materials. Surrounded by the best craftsmen, he presented his first collection on 1 May 1948 at the Paris Fair. Philippe Cassegrain recalls: “My father welcomed clients from all over the world at his stand, eager to discover what was in fashion in this area! It is important to remember that this was the year in which television reached the general public – a huge revolution.”

Anticipating the brand’s growth, Jean Cassegrain invested in setting up workshops in Segré where he began producing new accessories.  Focusing on applied arts, and concentrating on novelties, he invested time and effort into making sure that the Longchamp brand was synonymous with innovation and at the same time with elegance and timelessness.  It was based on these assumptions that he asked Turenne Chevallereau to come up with the logo.  Christened with the same name as the hippodrome in the Bois de Bologne, Paris, crowned with an image inspired by a 19th century engraving of a mounted jockey on a galloping horse, he created what today is still the insignia of the house.

Keeping up with progress, namely the development of transport and the appearance of innovative technology, Jean Cassegrain saw an opportunity in these trends to export the Longchamp brand all over the world.

At 16, Philippe was invited by his father to take charge of the company’s international relations department.  The first commercial sounding out trip that same year led him to Africa. The following year, aged 17, he took another transatlantic voyage to Asia visiting Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, where tobacco had a huge customer base.  His first goal was to work his father’s contacts and open new doors for the brand that aimed to conquer the world.  Within this perspective the obvious next step was the United States.

Paying careful attention to the brand’s network of points-of-sale was absolutely crucial for anyone wanting to achieve an image of brand excellence.   All should be visited and complimented, more than once as his father reminded him with very strict instructions before Phillipe set out for New York.

At the start of the 50s, Longchamp was already present on all the continents and was one of the first European brands to be sold in Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan.

It would also be in the 1950s that the French lifestyle, the so-called “joie de vivre” gained new ground becoming popular worldwide. This renewed interest in the City of Light, its hold on the imagination, synonymous with beauty and sophistication that was interrupted by the black shadow of the war took place at the same time as a revolution in air transport which enjoyed their golden era.        It would be through the birth of civil aviation as we know it today that the visionary spirit of Jean Cassegrain would grasp the enormous potential for his company.

The experience acquired in handling leather that were used to cover pipes was now extended to a small range of gentleman’s products like wallets and passport holders which shortly after would join suitcases and travel luggage.

Orly airport’s south terminal was designed by the architect Henri Vicariot to be a functional and light space synonymous with modernity and the feeling of economic optimism and prosperity that characterised the post-war period. The modern Paris reception lounges such as the Salle de Visite quickly became an ex-libris in Paris and a privileged showcase for French luxury.  At this time is was the most visited place in Paris, even overtaking the Eiffel Tower.   It was at this airport reception room used both by regular travellers and tourists and film stars like Audrey Hepburn, Greta Garbo, Romy Schneider and Ray Charles who chose the recently inaugurated terminal as the place for their interviews, that Jean Cassegrain decided to open a shop.

It was at the time a decision that at the very least was bold and made it clear to the competition and customers how much the fashion house believed in its potential.

“No other seller of leather articles would have paid a rent to sell empty suitcases at Orly, except my father.”

But if there was one thing that Jean trusted in, it was the commitment of his sons, particularly Phillipe who dedicated his heart and soul to the project, as a witness recalls: “At seven in the morning he was already selling articles and in the afternoon he was in the office.” Doing business with passengers waiting for their flights, often seasonal travellers with return tickets enabled him to build a relationship based on trust with the customer. “Some asked me for articles to take on the return journey home. My job was to supply them with what they wanted but I didn’t always have what they asked me for at hand, such as a wallet in crocodile for example. But things went very well overall.  We were selling bags which were really stylish and modern for the time! We were the first to do that.”

In the 70s, with the gradual expansion of the business, Longchamp began to concentrate on another market and in 1971 launched its first ladies handbag which recreated the “necessaire” adding a handle and two top flaps.   In 1978 it introduced the LM Line, the brand’s first ladies handbag line.  That same year the tobacco products were dropped from the brand catalogue and the company focus turned completely to travel bags and ladies handbags.

In 1983, Jean Cassegrain’s son become the CEO of Longchamp while his wife Michéle took over the running of the firm’s boutiques. In 1991, Philippe and Michéle’s eldest son Jean also joined the business.  Later, their daughter Sophie Delafontaine, was put in charge of the artistic direction of the company.

1993 would mark the launch of one of the house’s star products. The Le Pliage handbag would become one of the symbols of Longchamp and one of the biggest selling handbags ever and one of the most famous in the world.  A touch of genius from Philippe Cassegrain which would contribute to making the brand even more famous.

Today the founder’s grandson Jean Cassegrain is the company CEO.   “Today, Longchamp, like it did when it was founded, incorporates luxury in movement with a highly structured international distribution network and variety of products that includes wallets, handbags, luggage, footwear and glasses.”

In charge of a company whose business turnover is around £1Bn with shops in 100 countries and employing over 3,000 worldwide, Jean Cassegrain continues committed to the vision of the brand’s founder. “My grandfather expected that global expansion would become a reality and that is what happened. Business turnover has tripled and our international sales have doubled, we’ve opened 12 new distribution points all over the world and over 120 points-of-sale, all to bring the brand closer to our customers.”

The business got even larger when the brand was one of the first to do personalised on-line sales in 2003. Nevertheless, its main characteristics were maintained. “The family spirit, the splendour of Paris, exceptional leathers and applied arts already rooted in our history.”  However, it was to preserve the brand’s savoir faire that in 2011 workshop-schools were set up to teach the art associated with the manufacture of each Longchamp piece.

Also in 2006 the brand made its debut in the fashion world by launching its first ready-to-wear line.  With the signature of the brand’s creative director Sophie Delafontaine, the collections have gained fame over time and this year were featured at New York Fashion Week for the first time.

It is in the balance between tradition and evolution that Longchamp has been able to remain on the crest of the wave.  The “Artwalk” concept, developed by Jean Cassegrain in 2016, is yet more proof that the house has not stopped in time.  Aiming to integrate art in all of its segments, the brand began this project with the artist Ryan McGinness who designed the historic brand’s temporary façade cover at Saint-Honoré in Paris while it was being renovated.    The following year saw a collaboration with the German artist Franz Ackerman for the design and building of its Shanghai store. This year, the artist Remed decorated the façade of Longchamp’s new flagship store on 5th Avenue, New York when it was being built.  “These projects link contemporary artists with exceptional urban spaces. This capacity to unite innovation and creativity is at the core of our company’s know-how”, Jean Cassegrain explains.

Creating a brand and maintaining it for 70 years has been a long road full of ups and downs. More than a business, it represents a family’s journey.  Faithful to the initial goal of creating a high quality product for an international clientèle, after seven decades Longchamp continues to innovate and demonstrate that with dedication and persistence, anything is possible.