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Longchamp and Gloverall fuse French flair and British craft for a capsule collection that ❤ London

Photography by Oda EideStyling by Francesca Russo

Front 7Longchamp

Ever since its founding in 1948, the Paris-based leather goods brand Longchamp has built a worldwide, recognisable icon as formidable as the iPhone, the Chuck Taylor All-Star high-top, the Smythson diary, and the Swatch watch. In 1993, their bag Le Pliage unfolded – quite literally – into the world, its name borrowed from the French verb for folding. A trapezoid rendered in washable nylon canvas, anchored by two taut leather handles, and sealed beneath a decisive snap-flap, it was an everyday architecture you could collapse, origami style, in your hands. With an estimated 30 million bags sold, Longchamp is ubiquitous around the world in ways that many of us don’t even register.

The brand is a privately held company (hence the estimate, as sales figures are not publicly disclosed), owned by its family members. Like most family businesses, the long game gives them the freedom to experiment. Sophie Delafontaine, who has worked at the business since 1995, was inspired by the fashion landscape of London for her FW25 ready-to-wear collection. Collaborating with fellow heritage brand Gloverall, renowned for its classic duffle coats, was a logical next step.

Front 8Longchamp
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Front 9Longchamp
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Front 10Longchamp

Gloverall took the naval duffle coat – a functional, democratic, slightly eccentric garment – and turned it into an emblem of British style, worn proudly by sailors, celebrities, and cartoon bears alike. The resulting collaboration capsule of a Longchamp x Gloverall coat and bag in two colour ways is a harmonious meeting of both brands’ signatures. Both items are crafted from Gloverall’s signature double-faced wool and feature fastenings inspired by the bamboo clasps of Longchamp’s Roseau bags, as well as the classic duffle coat toggle closures. The interplay of French pragmatism and British eccentricity gives the capsule a sense of quiet wit: the coat’s clean lines nod to Longchamp’s understated tailoring, while the toggles – part nautical hardware, part jewellery – serve as tactile reminders of Gloverall’s maritime roots. In an age of brand collaborations designed to boom and bust, the collaboration is a reminder that the most enduring designs are those that quietly earn their place in daily life, revealing their beauty with every wear.

 

All clothes and accessories are by Longchamp.

Art direction: Weronika Uyar / Hair: Kenta Uchinokura / Make-up: Mee Kee Song / Retouching: Charlotte Stevens / Styling assistant: Alina Polifka / Lighting assistant: Olivia Cartwright / Model: Ibtissam Adlimi at PRM Agency