See the stars who attended the opening, the brand’s latest collection, plus our interview with Francois Xavier Severin, Longchamp’s General Manager for South Pacific.
Longchamp is probably one of the recognizable names when it comes to bags— I mean, who doesn’t know about their famous Le Pliage nylon tote? The brand has a strong following in Manila and it’s no surprise then that the label now boasts of four stores. Their latest one in Rustan’s Makati is inspired by their flagship boutique in Paris and features all their latest offerings. MEGA talks to Francois Xavier Severin, Longchamp’s General Manager for South Pacific to find out what’s new with the brand.
1. Tell us about the new boutique. What’s the inspiration behind the design?
“The store concept is different from the other boutiques as it was developed two years ago from our flagship store in St. Honore, Paris. Here we have elements that are coming from the St. Honore store. This one is modern, brighter and more luxurious and also allows more display. Here we have the largest offering when it comes to women’s leather bags.”
2. Can you tell us about the new collection?
“There were a few inspirations for the collection. The African one, the Masai Tribe was an inspiration for the cruise collection that we launched in November. Our designer Sophie she was really interested in colors, the diversity of colors in Africa. Longchamp is a brand that loves to play with colors. Every season we launch new colors and we like to play with colors in an elegant and exotic way. Our designer travels a lot and she likes to bring back to Paris some nice elements she discovered to integrate into our new collection. Second one is the spring spirit, mostly pastel colors. We call it the St. Germain. It’s a district in Paris. It’s a very social place where philosophers, thinkers and artists used to meet.
3. Longchamp is a brand that is popular with the Filipino market. What do you think is the brand’s secret to success?
‘‘I think one of the obvious reason why they appreciate the brand is that they have not been disappointed with the Le Pliage nylon bag. It’s very popular in Manila. They are loyal because they are happy and satisfied with the bag. I think it’s up to us to develop this loyalty through new lines and to bring it to the next level.”
4. What is the bag to have from Longchamp this season?
“I will say the Mademoiselle. It’s a beautiful bag. So far it has enjoyed world-wide success. We sell it very well in Europe, US and Asia.
It’s a bag that we launched six months ago. It’s one of the bags that’s in the top range in terms of pricing. But people like it. It’s elegant, it’s cool and chic together. You don’t have a lot of bags that manage to have those two elements together.”
5. Longchamp has been successful with its collaborations as well. Can you talk about the upcoming ones that you will be having?
“We have a collaboration with Jeremy Scott like we do every year. We will have something new this second semester. I can’t talk about it yet but there will be one for sure.”
To celebrate the opening of its newest store in Rustan’s Makati, Longchamp threw an exclusive shopping party where guests had the privilege of seeing the brand’s latest collection. See who attended the launch below:
Read More: 8 Summer Bags to Buy Now from Longchamp’s Latest Collection
