Paris in 1948 was a city in post-war celebration. Soldiers crowded the city’s cafes smoking their pipes and it was Jean Cassegrain, a purveyor of smoking accessories, that recognised a gap in the market for a speciality product that would capture the celebration and luxury of the post-war era.

And so Longchamp was born, founded by Cassegrain and named after the famous Parisian racetrack. His first product, the leather-covered pipe, was to become the epitome of lifestyle chic for the newly liberated Europeans.

The brand grew quickly and within a couple of years Longchamp were developing other leather products for smokers followed by small leather goods in 1955. Wallets and purses were introduced in the sixties, luggage in the early seventies and by the late seventies Longchamp had expanded into ladies handbags, an area which now accounts for fifty percent of the company’s annual revenue. The brand is probably best known for their ‘Le Pilage’ nylon and leather range of handbags launched in 1993. The foldable bag comes in a wide range of sizes is now available to bespoke order on their website.

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of Le Pilage in 2004 the company commissioned British artist Tracey Emin to stamp her own very personal mark on the bags in a limited edition range. The same year another British designer, Thomas Heatherwick, created the concept for the ‘Zipper’ bag. The team at Heatherwick studios had been intrigued by the fact that zips are produced in lengths of two hundred metres and began experimenting with what they could create from long lengths of zips. Their project developed into a collaboration with Longchamp who went on to produce a range of bags that have a zip winding up and across the whole body. When unzipped they doubled in size revealing a bright coloured spiral and went on to be one of Longchamps best sellers. Heatherwick Studios later went on to design Longchamp’s La Maison Unique store in New York.

Today the brand is no longer associated with smoking but known as a luxury fashion house whose most recent advertising campaign was fronted by British model Kate Moss. It was Kate who inspired their new ‘Legend’ range of handbags. When asked what her dream bag would be she requested a black patent finish, a scarlet red lining and a large opening as on a doctor’s bag. Her wish was their command and so came about the Legend. The bag comes in a range of four sizes and in a variety of finishes and colour-ways such as night blue sheepskin, mocha velvet calfskin and Napoleonic jacquard bees. The extra wide opening is perfect for sorting through your belongings and each bag in the range also has one or two zip pockets to the front; ideal for smaller items that need to be kept close to hand.

Hot on the heels of the Legend is the ‘Rival’ bag, part of the ‘Rodeo Luxe’ collection, and sure to be another best seller for the autumn/winter season. Available in a range of fabrics including washed sheep leather, hairy zebra print and patent, the Rival has a more sporty, modern feel with zip detail and studs. For men there is the ‘Xlight’ range, simple and contemporary in nylon with webbing straps and leather detail. A square leather patch to the front has the name Longchamp embossed with three letters per line. The same embossed logo is also featured on the men’s ‘Cavalier’ leather range, which includes a laptop bag, wash bag and wallets. A travel range named ‘Longchamp 4x4’ also has a strong masculine feel and an androgynous version of the Rival.

Sophie De La Fontaine of the Cassegrain family is the current designer of both the accessories range and the new ready-to-wear collection. Clothing is a more recent venture for Longchamp with autumn/winter 07 being only their second season. Knitwear is surprisingly sexy and includes short skirts, slash-neck sweaters with batwings and chunky knit wrap-around jackets for effortless style. Detail is added to sweater sleeves at the elbow with seams and gathers, and fullness at the wrist. Woven cashmere jackets have black patent trim pockets, perfect for co-ordinating with a black patent Legend or Rival handbag. Designs at turn are both young and fresh and smart and sophisticated, appealing to a wide range of customers. A long sleeved t-shirt has a fun print depicting the French and the English in cartoon dog characters and is available in a range of colours including red, grey and green. Outerwear is practical yet stylish such as a padded jacket with detachable sleeves. Trench coats are available in black patent and cashmere/wool and streetwise padded parkas have fur collars. As stated by Longchamp, ‘the ready-to-wear collection is fashion without a fuss’, just luxurious, contemporary style. Which is surely what every woman wants.