Longchamp first began in 1948 when the company, founded by Jean Cassegrain, began making leather coverings for pipes and various products for smokers. In 8 years, the company had expanded to include producing small leather goods and by the 1970s, boutiques in Hong Kong and Japan were opened to accommodate the demand for travel goods. It wasn’t until 1980 when Phillippe Cassegrain, son of Jean Cassegrain expanded its productions to include clothing, scarves and other fashion accessories. Its most well-known line perhaps to date is the ‘Le Pliage’ – a collection of foldable travel bags made of vinyl and leather handles and trimming.

The Longchamp outlet at The Gardens recently celebrated Longchamp’s 60th anniversary and the launch of their Autumn/Winter collection with a media and VIP guests party complete with a fashion show. With boards dotting the foyer area of The Gardens with the face of well-known supermodel Kate Moss fronting their line, models lined up to present the latest range of bags including the re-edition of the LM Collection.

The line of LM bags was first thought of by Phillippe Cassegrain which was intended for the Japanese market and because of its huge success, the company was able to expand to the rest of Asia. For Longchamp’s 60th anniversary, the bags are being reprised with 2 updated versions: the LM Vintage Moka, an exact reproduction of the original line (also in black), and the LM Verni line, a stylish look in keeping with the 2008 fashion trends. Belgian artist Jean-Luc Moerman, known for his designs inspired by urban graphic culture and applied to different surfaces and mediums, he uses tattoos as his source of inspiration to reinvent the Moerman Edition.

With models like Amber Chia (in a shockingly short, bob, I must add!) dressed in white and black, the bags hung on each model’s shoulder while they sashayed down a black carpet laid specially for the event. Pictures were snapped when the models stopped on a raised platform so that guests could have a better look at the bags. We were then entertained by a violin set by Joanne Yeoh, donning a sparkling black halter neck gown and clutching a metallic blue electric violin. Sailing through an impressive set of songs including an instrumental version of ‘Sinaran’, Joanne wowed the crowd with each twang.

These were some of the bags we saw as part of the collection:

Longchamp’s bestseller from to 70s, re-edited for their 60th anniversary. The duffle bag comes in 3 versions – natural brown calf hide leather, a muted black calf hide leather, and a patent black one with an electric blue lining.

The Moerman Edition in collaboration with Belgian artist Jean Luc Moerman. The pattern is very much like a tattoo and is the perfect day bag for all your weekend essentials.

All product images are by www.longchamp.com

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