A FAMILY HISTORY SINCE 1948
Longchamp by Philippe Cassegrain
For Philippe Cassegrain, the House of Longchamp is more than a company, it's a family adventure.
Born in 1937, Philippe was 11 years old when his father founded Longchamp in 1948. As the brand celebrates its 70th anniversary, he shares his memories of the first founding decade, from the early days to the founding characteristics that constitute the essence of Longchamp. "At the time, we didn’t go to school on Thursdays, so we made cigarette cases or passport cases for example; I had a small gilding machine to mark Longchamp in gold leaf."
The parisian impetus 1948
February 1st, 1948: Jean Cassegrain creates Longchamp and lays the foundation for a French leather goods adventure.
Located in the heart of Paris, the House is ideally placed: "It was situated at boulevard Poissonnière, in the second arrondissement. At the foot of the building was the civette. It was the place to be back then! It was a busy shopping area. It was a quite a breakthrough, from the Place de la République to the Madeleine. The Champs-Élysées barely existed..." recalls Philippe Cassegrain.
Expansion & Modernity
From the beginning, the House set the tone by creating a luxury pipe sheathed in leather.
Jean Cassegrain establishes Longchamp’s reputation by selling goods to both the international clientele wandering along the Grands Boulevards and to the Parisians frequenting the theatres of the capital. Longchamp's success holds in four words : creation, quality, work, service.
The Paris Fair
Jean Cassegrain selects crocodile and lizard leathers and surrounds himself with the best craftspeople.
He presents this new collection for the first time on May 1st, 1948 at the Paris Fair, a major meeting place for innovations where luxury houses eagerly return after the war. Philippe remembers: “My father welcomed customers from all over the world to his booth, curious to discover the latest novelties and up-and-coming fashion styles. It is necessary to understand the context : this was the year when the public discovered the first television sets, and they worked - a revolution! ”
Inspiration made logo
During his daily rides between his home and the center of Paris, Jean Cassegrain enjoys the view of one of the last “mills” in the capital.
Nestled at the end of the Longchamp racecourse, he begins to play with the sound of his surname, reminiscent of milling – “cass-grain:” literally “seed-breaker” – and associates it with the world of saddlery for which he designs his collections. Drawing from his inspiration, Jean Cassegrain commissions Turenne Chevallereau to design the symbol that the House will never stray from. The movement of a galloping horse, a symbol of elegance, gives rise to what would become the emblem of the House.
Travels & discoveries
Jean Cassegrain sees an opportunity and seizes it: it is time his eldest son discovers places and learns of new cultures.
At age 16, young Philippe boards a Union-Castle liner to Africa. The following year, in 1954, when he turns 17 years old, Philippe travels to Hong Kong for the first time. After his African and Asian travels, a trip to North America follows. Over three consecutive years, Philippe travels there regularly and lays the House’s foundations.
The rise with Οrly
As early as the 1950s, the Orly Sud airport terminal exemplifies a remarkable revolution.
The terminal attracts not only travelers, but also tourists who come to see the planes take off from its open terraces and hoping to meet Audrey Hepburn, Greta Garbo, Romy Schneider, or Ray Charles who chose Orly to give his Parisian interviews. Philippe recalls : "Very early on my father set up a Longchamp booth in Orly showcasing suitcases. I opened that first store. It was an adventure. By seven in the morning, I was already selling much luggage, and in the afternoon, I was at the office.”
THE 70'S
Longchamp celebrates women
In 1971, Philippe Cassegrain designs his first bag for women and launches the Longchamp leather Goods line, which was very successful in Japan.
Opening of the first flagship store
Longchamp enters the world of retail with the opening of its first flagship store in 1988 at 390 rue St Honore, in the heart of Paris, the fashion capital of the world.
This prestigious address is chosen by Michele Cassegrain, Philippe's wife and head of the Longchamp Boutiques. Following on from this first flagship store, she leads a remarkable expansion of the distribution network, which now boasts 300 own-brand boutiques.
The launch of an icon: Le pliage
Le pliage: Lightweight designs still pose a major challenge for all leather goods manufacturers. How do you bring together the lightness of a feather with the durability of a bag?
The solution seemed unsolvable in the early 90's. But the mysteries of arithmetics piqued Cassegrain's curiosity... beacause each impossible project only drove the craftmen to develop the Maison's savoir-faire further. And so, Le Pliage was born. This iconic line would change the history of the Maison for ever.
A new architectural signature
In 2017, Longchamp reveals its new "Prismatic" visual signature in its boutique at the Kerry Centre in Shanghai.
This unique concept reappears the same year for the opening of the Maison's flagship store in Omotesando, Tokyo. In 2018 the signature adorns the facade of the new flagship store on fifth Avenue in New York.
Longchamp, a family story
To describe Longchamp, is to write a family story.
That of the Cassegrain family, who inherited the passion for leather and creativity from the Le Maison's founder : Philippe Cassegrain. Today, the House is in the hands of the third generation of Cassegrain: his eldest son, Jean is the CEO, his daughter, Sophie Delafontaine, the creative director, and his younger son, Olivier, leads the brand’s development of American boutiques.