Longchamp x Robert Indiana tributes ‘Love’ sculpture artist

October 30, 2023

Located at the Indianapolis Museum of Art in Indiana, the pop art creation is highly recognizable, its originator's imagery now centering a new collection. Image credit: Longchamp

By Zach James

French leather and accessories brand Longchamp is putting a classic front and center with its latest capsule.

Launching Oct. 31, the label is giving new life to the iconic "Love" artwork by the late American pop artist Robert Indiana with a new drop that brings the design to the house’s signature handbags. Created in 1970, the piece is now added to a pantheon of collaborations between maisons and artistic creatives.

“Love is universal, a positive message that is understood all over the world, and I liked the idea of reproducing this message on Le Pliage, a universally beloved bag,” said Sophie Delafontaine, creative director of Longchamp, in a statement.

Love eternal
Located at the Indianapolis Museum of Art in Indiana, the "Love" works are brought to an international stage with Longchamp’s release.

Applied to the brand’s signature Le Pliage design, the capsule is focused on translating the iconic "Love" iconography into fashion-forward looks.

The collection, aptly titled “Longchamp x Robert Indiana,” takes the most famous work from the artist and gives it a slight twist, changing up colorways and medium.

The brand’s signature Le Pliage design is transformed for Longchamp x Robert Indiana. Image credit: Longchamp

With the release, Longchamp will introduce alternate versions of Le Pliage, including tote-size and mini-crossbody versions on top of the previously mentioned bags.

The Le Pliage XS model will see three separate color variants, available in green, red and black. Other handbags in the capsule will see combinations of red, green and blue, as well as red, white and blue, besides a few additional versions also on offer.

A white t-shirt, grey sweatshirt, scarf, headband and keychain each bearing the "Love" design round out the collection, said to share the art and the brand’s values of “graphic simplicity,” “optimistic colors,” with an emotional resonance and universal appeal that mirror that of its inspiration source.

Longchamp X Robert Indiana

To promote the release, the brand shared a campaign film and photoshoot showcasing models having fun in the sun sporting the various accessories and handbags included in the drop.

Set to an upbeat backing track highlighted by the use of guitar, the visual asset harkens back to the time of the sculpture’s completion in 1970, when peace and love were focused on above all else.

Originally formatted as a series of drawings in the mid-60s, the design lives on over 50 years after its original ideation, arguably more famous and prevalent than ever.

Honorable homage
The art world is a frequent part of the luxury landscape, especially when it comes to collaborations; in this case, Longchamp is playing into something different.

Mr. Indiana passed away five years before this collaboration would see the light of day. Tributing the late influential pop artist was a key tenant of the capsule, according to the brand.

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The house’s treatment of "Love" stands in stark contrast to other maison’s artistic collaborations, including their own.

Earlier this year, in a more avant-garde drop, Longchamp partnered with Italian art publication Toiletpaper Magazine on a series of surrealist designs applied to Le Pliage (see story).

Last week, Louis Vuitton continued its streak of Artycapucines Collections, its artisan-forward capsule series, unveiling the fifth rendition (see story).

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Longchamp x Robert Indiana tributes ‘Love’ sculpture artist

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