At Longchamp, A Le Pliage Collaboration Built On Love
What happens when a world-famous artwork meets a world-beloved bag? Something heart-worthy – at least in the case of Longchamp's latest partnership to reinvent its emblematic Le Pliage tote.
A giant of America’s Pop Art scene, the late artist Robert Indiana was known for using words in his practice to address fundamental issues facing humanity (think death, sin and forgiveness). He’s most synonymous with his hallmark “LOVE” motif: a graphic of the word itself stylised into a square‐shaped stack of serif alphabets, with the “O” idiosyncratically lopsided. Originally created in 1964 as a series of drawings that the artist gifted to friends, it went on to become a symbol of 1960s idealism.
The Longchamp X Robert Indiana capsule line features a never-before-seen vertical shopper style (left) for the Le Pliage
Recently, Longchamp released possibly some of the most portable designer renditions of it: three styles of the maison’s iconic Le Pliage (the travel bag, the pouch and the shopper‐like shoulder bag) printed or embossed with Indiana’s “LOVE”. Adding to the breadth of the Longchamp X Robert Indiana capsule are a keychain, silk scarf, cotton tee and sweatshirt, all in the work’s iconic colours. “Love is universal – a positive message that is understood all over the world – and I liked the idea of reproducing this message on the Le Pliage, a universally beloved bag,” says Longchamp creative director Sophie Delafontaine. “I love the idea of releasing an ephemeral collection created to last forever.”
A version of this article first appeared in the Nov 2023 Music Edition of FEMALE