Longchamp; Jenny Chang-Rodriguez/BI
I remember the backpack I carried into my freshman year of college.
Tan and covered in fine-line illustrations of cats, the Forever 21 bag probably retailed for less than $30. At the time, it felt like a luxury.
Today, university students know a thing or two about actual designer bags, and one style has all but replaced standard backpacks.
Enter the Le Pliage tote from Longchamp. Priced between $145 and $155, the foldable design has become the ultimate It Bag for back-to-school season.
It's popular with students for several reasons: think aesthetics, functionality, and accessibility. Equally influential is the resurgence of the French brand that makes it.
Longchamp saw a 44% revenue increase in 2023, a stat that can largely be attributed to the brand's ever-growing Gen Z fan base.
"Everybody wants to give off old-money vibes nowadays. College students want to look cute, but classy as well," Ansuya Dulal, a 19-year-old Ohio State University student, told Business Insider. "That was the niche I wanted to get into, and then I found Le Pliage."
Ansuya Dulal
Longchamp's origins can be traced back to 1945 when Jean Cassegrain began turning his parents' tobacco shop into a leather goods manufacturer.
The company was a full fashion brand by the 1970s, according to Longchamp's website, when it introduced its first women's handbag and found massive success in Japan. Later in 1988, Longchamp opened its first retail store in Paris.
But it wasn't until 1993 that Longchamp began selling one of its most iconic products to date: Le Pliage. Named after the French word for "folding," the tote caught attention with its washable nylon fabric and unique ability to fold into one small piece.
Philippe Cassegrain, the son of Jean, was inspired to create the bag after seeing origami in Japan, a Longchamp retailer told BI.
Jeremy Moeller/Getty Images
Longchamp saw another surge in popularity in the mid-2000s, with record sales in 2010 that led to the brand's valuation of over $1 billion in 2013.
But according to Business of Fashion, things slowed down between 2016 and 2018, and Longchamp turned to the Chinese fashion market to boost sales.
Then Gen Z stepped in. In Q2 of 2023, according to Lyst, searches for Longchamp and its Le Pliage totes increased by 56%
Celebrity stylist Jennifer Udechukwu told BI that the brand's decades-old history helped the brand hold appeal during those rockier business times, making a comeback possible over the past two years.
"It's a brand that's always been around, is very classic, and their bags are recognizable when you see them," she said of Longchamp. "And [Le Pliage] is so classic that I don't see it ever really going out of style."
And Longchamp is aware of its young, student fanbase. Paul Lorraine, the president and CEO of Longchamp USA, said in a statement to BI that Le Pliage is the "perfect example" of the brand's functional fashion.
"As a brand, our mission is to uphold traditions of French craftsmanship and ensure that customers can cherish their pieces for years to come," he said.
Dulal purchased her first Longchamp bag — a medium-sized Pliage tote in navy — just under two years ago. It's since become her everyday school staple.
"It's basically replaced my backpack completely," she told BI.
Like other girls her age, Dulal fills her tote to the brim.
A perfume, Hydro Flask water bottle, and Summer Fridays lip balm are always stored inside, alongside her Macbook, calculator, and other school supplies.
The depth of these totes is part of the appeal for young fashion fans and students alike. Searches for "Longchamp" and "Le Pliage" on TikTok result in countless videos showing just how many items can fit inside.
Some of the most popular, like one posted by @_hannah.mre_ on August 13, have even reached more than 2 million views.
It's also a mix of Longchamp's clean French aesthetic and functionality that draws students to Le Pliage.
"The more you use it, the more you realize how practical it is," Dulal told BI. "You can make it look classy or you can make it look like an everyday bag. I think that's what people my age like nowadays; it's like killing two birds with one stone."
Udechukwu, who said she and her friends used Longchamp bags in college over 10 years ago, noted the price of Le Pliage totes and the wide range of retailers that sell them are also notable.
"Most importantly for students, [Le Pliage] is actually pretty affordable when you compare it to other bags in that range," Udechukwu said. "It's very accessible. You don't have to worry about it being released and sold out. You can go in a store and get it, or go online and get it."
They're also commonly found in thrift stores and on second websites like The RealReal, she said, providing options to students of varying budgets.
"I know people whose moms used to have one that their moms used to have, and they'll pull it out their closet and it'll look brand new," she added. "The fact that you can do that or find one in a thrift store just speaks to the bags being able to last for a super long time."
"We've loved seeing how younger generations have taken to Le Pliage," Longchamp's Lorraine continued in his statement. "We find pride in embracing new generations, while honoring the brand's storied heritage and values of authenticity, energy, and creativity."
