Longchamp Celebrates Robert Indiana With Handbag Collection
Longchamp is celebrating artist Robert Indiana with a new collection.
The fashion label announced Sunday it is releasing a Lonchamp x Robert Indiana collection, paying homage to the late artist and his famous motifs. The collection will be available starting Oct. 31.
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“Longchamp found inspiration in the enduring connection between fashion and art, leading us to embark on this partnership,” said Longchamp global chief executive officer Jean Cassegrain. “Robert Indiana’s artwork is graphic in style and optimistic in tone, perfectly matching our brand’s bold spirit and vibrant energy. This journey began around six or seven years ago when we first approached him, and even after his passing, our conversations continued with the Robert Indiana Legacy Initiative, resulting in a unique partnership to create a capsule celebrating the iconic ‘love’ artwork, a universal symbol of optimism.”
The collection centers on Indiana’s “love” image, using the motif for new versions of the Lonchamp Le Pliage bag designed in a blue, green and red colorway and a red, white and blue colorway. These colors also give a nod to Indiana’s artwork.
Longchamp also utilizes the “love” motif for other accessories such as a shoulder bag, pouch, tote bag and crossbody. Other than the Le Pliage bags, other standout styles in the collection include the small leather monochromatic styles that are embossed with the “love” motif.
“I have always admired the late American artist Robert Indiana, partly because I felt his work, which is so graphic in style and optimistic in tone, really matched the bold spirit and bright energy of Longchamp,” said Longchamp creative director Sophie Delafontaine. “Love is universal, a positive message that is understood all over the world, and I liked the idea of reproducing this message on Le Pliage, a universally beloved bag. I love the idea of releasing an ephemeral collection created to last forever.”
Exclusive to the U.S. market, the collection also includes a yellow Le Pliage tote bag designed with an image of Indiana’s 1963 diptych “New Glory Penny,” which is an oil painting of a new coin commissioned by the magazine Art in America.
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