Longchamp Le Pliage by Jeremy Scott
Longchamp Le Pliage by Jeremy Scott

PARIS, Aug 13, 2009 / FW/ — Introduced in 1993, the Longchamp “Le Pliage” line, a collection of foldable travel bags has become synonymous with French luxury leather goods offerings.

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of ANDAM (Association Nationale pour le Développement des Arts de la Mode), a not-for-profit organization that promotes emerging French and international fashion talent, Longchamp is collaborating with three previous winners of the prestigious ANDAM Fashion Award to re-interpret the iconic the Longchamp “Le Pliage”.

Jeremy Scott, Charles Anastase and the design duo Bless were selected by ANDAM and invited to create limited editions of Longchamp’s Le Pliage® bag, bringing their unique and avant-garde vision to bear on the groundbreaking foldable design that has become a cult classic and a staple of modern urban life.

JEREMY SCOTT

Winner of the ANDAM Fashion Award in 1998 and 2000, Jeremy Scott graduated from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. At the age of 21, he launched his eponymous label and took Paris by storm in 1997.

Deeply inspired by pop culture, he has a larger-than-life personality and a daring, anti-conformist style which have combined to produce some of fashion’s most endearing ideas.

An all-round artist with a wide-ranging influence, Jeremy Scott has worked with the world’s leading singers and fashion magazines. He has recently launched his own line with Adidas Originals and, since 2006, has maintained a close creative collaboration with Longchamp.

Jeremy Scott with his trademark sense of humor pictured himself as a “nouveau samurai”, emerging from the bag in a red silk kimono.

“I love the quality and heritage of the Longchamp brand. The Pliage bag is a French icon, no different from the croissant or the Eiffel Tower – it is chic, sophisticated and handsome all in one. For this special project I chose to do a digital print from a photograph of me as a nouveau samurai,” says Jeremy Scott

Longchamp Le Pliage by Charles Anastase
Longchamp Le Pliage by Charles Anastase

CHARLES ANASTASE

 

The 2004 ANDAM Fashion Award winner, French designer Charles Anastase draws inspiration from his past and his entourage. A complete artist, by turns an illustrator, a portraitist and a fashion designer, he impresses with his very romantic vision of the world.

Deliberately outside the fashions and constraints of daily life, the woman envisioned by Charles Anastase is unlike any other – almost naïve, she is both modern and beyond time.

Choosing to use Le Pliage® as a blank canvas on which to create two delightfully poetic illustrations, Charles Anastase sketched a pair of ballet shoes accompanied by the handwritten message “I could sleep 24 hours a day”, and a drawing of Persian cats with the words “In my heart or in my hand”.

“I was very touched to be invited to collaborate with Longchamp. It is a brand which I greatly admire, because it represents French savoir-faire throughout the world,” says Charles Anastase

“I love classic things, things that are made using traditional know-how, yet at the same time Longchamp has engaged in collaborations with contemporary artists like Tracey Emin. There is also the fact that I have always dreamed of transforming a Longchamp bag. It’s an obsession that dates back quite a few years. In fact, the accessories in my first fashion show in Paris in 2004 were a direct homage to Longchamp. That show was sponsored by ANDAM, which is another reason why I am delighted to be part of this collaboration,” the French designer added.

Longchamp Le Pliage by Bless
Longchamp Le Pliage by Bless

BLESS – DESIREE HEISS & INES KAAG

 

ANDAM Fashion Award winners in 1999 and 2004, Desiree Heiss and Ines Kaag designer under the label BLESS took a true conceptual approach in their interpretation of Le Pliage®.

Pushing the design to the limits, Bless created a bag that can be folded inside its own circular leather handles and worn as a bracelet!

“It is important for us to collaborate with different brands, because we enjoy sharing knowledge and experience, and also because such collaborations enlarge everyone’s horizons,” said Desiree Heiss and Ines Kaag.

“The Longchamp collaboration has proved perfect and very fruitful, bringing together the quality of Longchamp, resulting from its heritage as a traditional family business, with our aim of questioning and redefining the shape and function of an everyday object,” the Bless design duo added.

Founded in 1995, Bless is the constantly evolving conceptual design partnership of Desiree Heiss and
Ines Kaag. Their ethic is one of complete creative freedom, reflected in innovative, off-beat concepts ranging from fashion accessories through design to art.

Their designs reflect their deep interest not only in recycling, diverting and deconstructing, but also in textiles and traditional craft techniques. Since 2002, Bless offers a unisex collection of multifunctional clothes.

The three Le Pliage® bags, in a limited edition, will be available in the Longchamp boutiques and selected concept stores worldwide from 1st October 2009.