The French brand, Longchamp, is valued at $1.5 billion by Forbes. This is mostly because of their widely known Le Pliage bag. Longchamp’s Le Pliage bag is one of the most practical purses on the market but is widely worn by fashion icons and everyday individuals. It’s a very common bag to see in America and in Europe. The bag comes in a few different sizes and many different colors.
The Le Pliage bag comes in many different colors and size options. The sizes vary on bag size and strap length. The photo above shows the Le Pliage in its full capacity and when it's folded up.
Longchamp began in 1948 when Jean Cassegrain took over his father’s tobacco business and started selling leather tobacco and smoking accessories. Pipes were the most popular item being sold and his largest customer group were the soldiers. A few years later in the 1950s, Longchamp started selling leather goods such as accessories for men, passport covers, wallets, etc. It wasn’t until the 1970s that Cassegrain decided to start selling women’s handbags.
Longchamp began as a leather tobacco accessory business but it has grown since then. They still sell specialty leather tobacco accessories today.
The first women’s handbag was the Xtra-Bag, a bag that folded up and would fit into a small case. This was the forerunner to the Le Pliage bag, which changed Longchamp’s history forever in 1993. The handbag folds up into a trapezoidal shape, which mimics the shape of an envelope. The straps are made of real leather and the body of the bag is made of nylon canvas.
Two American tourists walk the streets of Paris with their large tote Le Pliage bags. This bag is perfect for traveling.
The Le Pliage bag is versatile and trendy at the same time. Celebrities such as Kate Middleton, Katie Holmes, and Amy Adams all carry the Le Pliage bag. Yet, you can find high school students in America using this bag for a backpack.
The canvas nylon is waterproof and extremely lightweight so it’s perfect for everyday use. The Le Pliage bag is also perfect for traveling. When you leave for your trip just fold up your Le Pliage into its small envelope shape and shove it in your suitcase. Once you do some shopping on your trip, you can open the bag up and use it as a carry-on.
The Longchamp stores in Paris are very large and have a wide selection. Some of the stores are even multiple stories.
The Le Pliage bag is very affordable compared to other designer brands. The small tote Le Pliage is $125 and the large tote Le Pliage is $145. Compared to a Louis Vuitton or Tory Burch bag, this is very reasonably priced.
There are many unique finds in the Paris Longchamp stores. They carry bags with Paris monuments designed onto them and they also have Jeremy Scott designed Le Pliage bags.
If you are traveling in Paris, you should try and stop by one of the Longchamp stores. Since the brand originates in France, the stores in Paris are extremely large. You can find Le Pliage bags with special designs in the Paris stores. They also sell the special edition Jeremy Scott Le Pliage bags.
