Longchamp (company)

Longchamp is a French leather goods company that was founded in 1948 by Jean Cassegrain in Paris. It is owned by the Cassegrain family and is managed by it. Longchamp is known primarily for leather handbags and linen, travel goods and fashion accessories.

The brand has more than 236 boutiques and with over 800 outlets in about 100 different countries.

History

Jean Cassegrain in 1940 owned a business for tobacco products and in 1948 founded the company Jean Cassegrain et Compagnie, produced the leather cases for smoking paraphernalia. These products are marketed under the brand name Longchamp in the trade, the name of a horse racing track in the Bois de Boulogne, because there was already another company named Cassegrain. 1955 expanded the family business to its product range wallets and small bags for men. Since the 1960s, Longchamp luggage offers leather and nylon.

In 1971 the first women's handbag model has been developed to 1978, production was shifted more and more of the cases for smoke accessories to bags. After the death of Jean Cassegrain in 1972, and his wife Renée 1980, the son Philippe took over the management of the company. In 1988, the first boutique on the rue Saint- Honoré was opened in Paris. In addition to the existing distributors (department stores, airport shops) has built up a network of boutiques.

2006 Longchamp expanded with a shop in New York's SoHo neighborhood for the first time in the United States, 2011, the first branch was opened in Asia. This boutique is located in a neighborhood with luxury goods shops in Hong Kong and has a sales area of ​​400 square meters, the second largest after the business in New York.

Longchamp is now out in 2nd and 3rd generation of the family Cassegrain:

• Philippe Cassegrain, President
• Michèle Cassegrain, line boutiques
• Jean Cassegrain, General
• Sophie Delafontaine, creative director
• Olivier Cassegrain, line U.S. boutiques

Structure

Longchamp products are in about 1,800 stores in approximately 100 countries in its own and franchised boutiques, available under contracts with department store chains in airport shops and on the internet sales. The Group has over 18 sales offices 236 outlets themselves Approximately one third of the turnover is made in France.

Workshops

1959 was the first in Segre Longchamp workshop. The production capacity was regularly increased, in Segre and with new workshops: Rémalard in 1969, Ernée in 1972, and from the 2000s Combrée, Château -Gontier and Montournais ..

In 1982 the family decided Cassegrain to relocate their production activities for reasons of cost and abroad and built a plant in Mauritius, also established in 1997 a production partnership with China. 2001 plants were built in Morocco and Tunisia, to increase the production capacity of the brand. Currently one third of the production is carried out because of the low labor costs in these countries.

Design and collaboration with artists

Longchamp collaborates with designers and artists, the special models for bags and luggage design, these models are sometimes available in a Limited Edition. For example, has applied 1971 leather patchwork on bags Serge Mendjisky. 2004 Thomas Heatherwick designed the Zip Bag, a bag around a very long zipper. 2004 and 2005, Tracey Emin was involved in the design of baggage.

Since 2006, Jeremy Scott is responsible for periodic special model of the Le Pliage bag. 2008 Longchamp has its LM Collection reissued on the occasion of sixty-year anniversary, which is only available in Asia, however, and brought, among other things, designed by Jean -Luc Moerman version on the market.

Since 2006 Longchamp also offers a shoe collection for women. Kate Moss, Kate Moss for Longchamp collection of their designs since 2010 as part of bag styles. In spring 2012, Longchamp introduced a new version of the bag Le Pliage entirely of leather on the market.