In celebration of Longchamp’s 70th anniversary, Philippe Cassegrain, son of founder Jean Cassegrain, shares stories about the French luxury brand’s beginnings and how it has grown into one of the world’s most enduring labels.
Philippe has witnessed the beginning of Longchamp and has actively participated in developing the brand worldwide. Here he answers questions about the brand maintained by the Cassegrain family.
Do you remember your father founding the company?
“Seventy years may sound like a long time ago, yet it feels like yesterday. In 1948, my father, Jean Cassegrain, founded Longchamp. I was 11 at the time, and when I didn’t have school on Thursdays, I remember that I would help him by gilding leather cases. A few years later, I started doing some of the deliveries around Paris, before having the chance to travel across the world to meet our customers.”
Did your father know from the beginning he was starting an international luxury brand?
“Indeed he did, he had a vision from the start! He even commissioned Turenne Chevallereau to design the brand’s symbol—the Longchamp horse, with its fiery movement. He also created the ‘Smoke the Longchamp Pipe’ advert used during those years, which we had displayed on our Citroën 2CV delivery car. All of Paris could see the symbol of our fiery stallion stretching out like a liana. It was so new!”
Was the company international since the beginning?
“Our showroom was located in the heart of Paris, where it received a great amount of exposure. It was situated at Boulevard Poissonnière, in the second arrondissement, and at the foot of the building was the civette. It was the place to be back then! It was a busy shopping area. My father welcomed customers from all over the world, curious to discover the latest novelties and up-and-coming fashion styles. At age 16, my father sent me on a trip around the world with travels across Africa before exploring Asia and the United States. Upon my return, I officially joined Longchamp and assisted my father in running the business, from creation, manufacturing, and marketing to sales development.
What does family business mean for Longchamp?
“Since the very early years all members of the family contributed: my mother helped my father by hosting customers at the Paris Fair; she ran the boutique and looked after everything with him. And we (the children) would help make cigarette cases or passport cases. I had a small gilding machine that I would use to mark Longchamp in gold leaf. When I turned 15, I got a Vespa so I could deliver on the Boulevard Haussmann, home to many luxury hotels: the Commodore, the Ambassador, the Cabarets, the Crillon… I delivered the orders of smokers’ goods and orders to be displayed in storefronts.
“Jean-François and Dominique, my two brothers, joined in too: they did supplementary deliveries that I could not take charge of. We were four children and all of us grow up working for the family company. We were trained from an early age to run Longchamp. I was the eldest of my siblings, and since my brothers and sister had other professional plans, it was obvious for me to continue to run the business. I didn’t even consider any other career, Longchamp chose me and I chose Longchamp.”
What ideas and insights were going through your mind when you first designed the Le Pliage in 1993?
“During a trip to the US, I took with me a prototype for a collapsible travel bag. The result of my experimentation was the Xtra bag, which was made of a single piece of fabric. The fabric I selected was nylon, a strong yet light material that nobody had previously used for bags; it was light and resistant. In 1993, we reworked the idea to create Le Pliage. More playful and modern, Le Pliage shook up convention with its unique design and color palette introduced from the very first collection. Upon its arrival in stores, it was an instant success! Its trapezoidal structure, zip closure, two ears, two handles, and flap teamed up with original new colors each season—and as always trimmed with Russian Leather—was a recipe for success. I think a brand needs to constantly reinvent itself and its products, that is why we change colors each season, all while keeping the same values.”
Is the company that is celebrating 70 years still the same company that your father founded in 1948?
“We have grown tremendously since 1948. Today, my father’s vision of a global enterprise with high quality offerings and wide product ranges continues to guide and inspire us on this adventure. This has been accomplished with the continuous engagement and tenacity of all our teams across the world. It has been a remarkable journey and I am proud that Longchamp is still a luxury French family brand with the same core values. I’m happy to have raised my children within the firm and to have given them the desire to continue on this journey. For this fantastic year, we have planned exciting projects to mark our 70th anniversary. We announced our first full-scale runway show at New York Fashion Week in September, alongside with our 70th anniversary celebrations at the Opéra Garnier in Paris!”
Longchamp is exclusively available at Rustan’s Makati, Rustan’s Shangri-La, Rustan’s Cebu, and Greenbelt 5.