Longchamp Makes a Glamorous Runway Debut for its 70th Anniversary

Since its establishment in 1948, Longchamp has been primarily known as a luxury leather goods brand, offering bags and accessories that are as covetable as they are timeless (the Le Pliage tote bag that almost every woman owns is a testament to that). On 8 September, though, the French brand decided to switch things up for its 70th anniversary by shining a spotlight on its ready-to-wear instead — and what better way to do that than with a fashion show?

Longchamp made its runway debut in the heart of New York, unveiling a 40-look collection that drew on the '70s glam rock spirit of former supermodel Veruschka and Rolling Stones muse Anita Pallenberg. Models walked by in an array of airy animal print dresses, rodeo shirts and leather jackets with lots of fringe, all seemingly out of a cinematic scene set in a Californian desert.

Longchamp Creative Director Sophie Delafontaine also kept in mind that the Longchamp woman is always on the move, so for Spring 2019 she came up with all manner of flat shoes that embodied the boho-chic vibe of the garments: boots, suede gladiators and fur slippers.

And what would a Longchamp collection be without bags? The star of this season's collection was the new Amazone cross-body bag that was first seen in Fall 2018, this time updated with new details like earth stones, fur and (surprise, surprise) fringe.

Being its first runway show, Longchamp certainly went all out to impress not just with the clothes and the models in the line-up (most notable of them was Kaia Gerber, who closed the show), but also with the celebrities that sat at the front row. 

It's not everyday that a brand makes its runway debut in the presence of supermodel Kate Moss, as well as award-winning actresses Priyanka Chopra and Isabelle Huppert. Other famous faces spotted at the show include Stranger Things' Natalia Dyer, model Park Soo Joo, rapper Awkwafina and Poppy Delevingne.

Standing out from everyone else (mostly because of the bright purple suede mini-dress that she sported with her Amazone bag in tow) was Kendall Jenner, the new face of Longchamp. Kendall made her mark as a Longchamp ambassador earlier this year by appearing in the brand's Fall/Winter 2018 campaign and starring in the a short film for Longchamp called "The Encounter". She couldn't be a better fit for the role, as pointed out by Delafontaine: "She's not only a model. She's also a very smart woman. She's a business woman. She's independent, she's international, she's beautiful, of course."