By NORA HOWE
French leather and accessories brand Longchamp has unveiled a new audacious collection in collaboration with contemporary fashion brand Emotionally Unavailable (EU).
EU founders and designers Edison Chen and Kybum Lee were inspired by Longchamp’s classic Le Pliage handbag for its cross-gender, cross-generational appeal as well as its potential for artistic reinterpretation. The accompanying campaign films follow the slogan “Been a CHAMP a LONG time,” a play on the French brand’s name.
“The campaign for the Longchamp x EU presents a youthful world of hard-fought optimism, much needed after a year of global gloom,” said Daymon Bruck, partner at The O Group, New York. “The slogan ‘Been a CHAMP a LONG time’ understands the universal challenge to give all you have to what you love, day in and day out. It’s about not giving up and that’s exactly the right message for today’s audience.”
PROFESSIONAL HEARTBREAKER
Emblazoned in white on the black Le Pliage bags, the “Been a CHAMP a LONG time” slogan is accompanied by “Professional Heartbreaker,” a nod to EU’s signature bleeding heart logo.
The boxing inspiration comes from the concept of heartbreak, as the two brands aimed to create a collection inspired by deep love and self-strength.
For the campaign, Longchamp has released two minute-long vignettes featuring models boxing, Jade and Evan.
Both set to French composer Claude Debussy’s “Clair de Lune,” the short films focus on the two boxers training in an empty ring. Dressed in pieces from the Longchamp x EU collection, Jade and Evan are shown wrapping their hands, practicing punches and jumping rope.
“Authenticity and energy are important to me in so many ways,” Mr. Chen says in an interview with Longchamp. “I always tell my fans to stay real, keep it real and stay true to themselves, and not really follow trends.
“Making the energy, harnessing the energy and seeing our followers and fans reciprocate that energy is very important to me,” he said. “Just follow your heart and be true to yourself, and only in that way can you really find true happiness.”
In addition to the two minute-long boxing vignettes, the campaign includes four 30-second videos of various professional athletes, from a dancer and skateboarder to a fencer and soccer player.
“Especially after this past year, the audience for this campaign will be encouraged and feel a sense of hope and empowerment,” Mr. Bruck said.
Also available on Longchamp’s Instagram, YouTube and Facebook channels are interviews with Mr. Chen, who discusses the inspiration behind this collaboration and what self-strength and love mean to him.
The new collection features 14 pieces, including handbags, backpacks, sweatshirts and more.
BOUNCING BACK
Especially after the year the world has just endured, fashion houses have turned to more positive messaging and energizing campaigns to lift the spirits of their consumers.
Italian fashion label Giorgio Armani explored universal themes of freedom, fate and courage in a new interview series featuring women from around the world. In “Crossroads,” luminaries including American ballet dancer Misty Copeland, French-British climate activist Inès Leonarduzzi, Japanese actress Nanao Arai and Lebanese television journalist Raya Abirached individually sat down with the brand to answer a series of provocative questions.
Giorgio Armani is the latest luxury brand to give notable women a platform to share their thoughts on ambition, feminism and similar topics as a way to thoughtfully engage consumers.
French fashion house Lanvin is bringing the glamour and entertainment of the past into the present with a new short film for its fall/winter 2021 collection.
The effort follows a group of models into a hotel where they strut down the hotel hallways as makeshift runways, dressing up, singing and dancing in the latest fashions from Lanvin. The short film emotes a celebration from the very start, highlighting a wide range of colorful and flashy Lanvin products and disparate materials in what feels like a music video and celebration from the early aughts used to symbolize fun and happiness that the future holds post-pandemic .
“Struggling to do and to be your best, especially when times are tough, is not a message you hear everyday from a fashion brand,” Mr. Bruck said. “Collaborations like [Longchamp x EU] showcase the potential to deliver fresh ideas and new expressions with much more integrity than a single brand voice.”
