It’s 2009, the film Lol, starring Sophie Marceau and Christa Théret, is released in cinemas and shares with us the chaotic yet privileged life of young Lola as she navigates the twists and turns of adolescence in an always-grey Paris — between divorced parents, a mother in crisis, and heartbreaks. In addition to having forever marked our memories with Maël’s song and Pierre Niney’s questionable haircut, we mostly remember Lol for the style of the teenage girls and their bags — one in particular: the Longchamp model. A Pliage religiously carried in the crook of the arm, Lola, her accessories, and her friends embody — one lived between four moulded walls, a rolled cigarette smoked in secret, and an outfit thrown together without effort but exuding a disarming coolness. You could say the message the Longchamp bag conveys is the same: effortless, cool, and yet so chic. For decades, the French brand’s canvas bag has been the looking for something both practical and stylish — simple, yet able to elevate their look to a higher level of sophistication with minimal effort. But beyond its classic-chic aesthetic, why is so obsessed with Longchamp bags?

While the brand was born in Paris in the 1920s, it wasn’t until the that its most popular model today, , was created. Designed as a practical — foldable, made from washable nylon canvas, and able to hold everything from lip gloss to a laptop — the Pliage, with its elegant aesthetic, checks all the boxes for the perfect bag for high school girls and young professionals. It’s seen everywhere in black, navy blue, or brown, yet the bag comes in an endless of colours that quickly won over a wide range of customers. Lola isn’t the only (real or fictional) celebrity to have made Longchamp bags her signature. Her mother in the film — and French icon in real life — is known for completing her outfits with a bag from the French House, whether in canvas or leather, reinforcing its status as a must-have in the wardrobe of any self-respecting Parisian. But the hype around the brand doesn’t stop at the borders of France. The bag is also a symbol of chic in the , often carried and celebrated by the Princess of Wales, , who, during her graduation at St. Andrews in 2005, chose a brown model to mark the occasion. The model also symbolises the era of , who even lent her image to the brand for the SS14 collection campaign in 2013, and , who not only served as an ambassador for Longchamp in the 2000s, but also collaborated on several capsule collections.

The undone preppy aesthetic that Longchamp and the it-girls who wear it represent didn’t just appear yesterday — it has been captivating young women for decades. Today, though perhaps less present and impactful in its campaigns, the brand and its bags have found a new, effective advertising channel: . Featured in , the latest season of , , and on the arms of platform stars like Joe Locke and Kizzy Edgell from Heartstopper, India Amarteifio from Queen Charlotte, and Natalia Dyer from Stranger Things, Longchamp bags are taking over the small screen and continue to assert themselves as leather goods essentials. Needless to say, with the rise of TikTok, the popularity of the Le Pliage model has exploded over the past two years, making the best-seller even more popular than it already was. Years go by, bags and it-bags come and go, but Longchamp remains a staple in France and beyond — combining value for money with French chic and a touch of cool.