It's always a good time when André Saraiva gets involved and the artist's Longchamp collaboration is living proof.
Well, not quite living, but almost: Saraiva transformed a selection of Longchamp classics into real-deal characters via cheeky pen strokes that create winking eyes and goofy smiles.
Paris-based Saraiva, best known for his Mr. A character, frequently partners with fashion tastemakers like colette and Virgil Abloh, so this Longchamp team-up is right in his wheelhouse.
This collaboration actually has roots in Longchamp's history, according to Sophie Delafontaine, the luxury house's creative director.
"Years ago, one of Longchamp’s first Paris showrooms was a rented space near Place de la Concorde," Delafontaine said in a statement. "When we moved in, we discovered André had been there before us – because right there, on the back of a door, was Mr. A. So you could call that our first meeting. We eventually left the showroom, but we kept the door!"
The French co-conspirators used four iterations of Longchamp's signature Le Pliage bag as the basis for this collection; the bag "epitomises simplicity and practicality which transcend time and fashion trends," Saraiva said.
Executed in nylon canvas and calf leather (for Saraiva's favored travel version), the collection is rife with the artist's peppy touch.
Sparse lines shapeshift Le Pliage into Saraiva's Mr. A or Mrs. A, grinning a toothy "AMOUR" and blowing kisses.
The thoughtful use of line emphasizes the pop colors that Saraiva selected from the Longchamp palette.
"The colors draw on the urban landscape and André’s color palette, as well as our signature green," Delafontaine said.
"I’m in my pink and blue period!" Saraiva laughed. "Pink is actually very special – it’s the only colour that marries with all the others."
No bag speaks to that mentality more than the 200 small recycled polyester Le Pliage bags all painted by Saraiva himself, individually numbered and utterly unique in their vivid splashes of color. The release will drop exclusively on the Highsnobiety Shop on April 19 before a wider release on April 26.
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